Unique Exhibition (Bryan G.)

 The Underground Up exhibit at the NJCU Visual Arts gallery provided students with pieces of work that could be seen as unusual or peculiar. Between the content of the actual artwork itself to the materials used, these artists definitely know how to distinguish their work from others.  All of the works of art were created by either Mr. Mustart, DISTORT, or Clarence Rich. They are all known for their street art in the New Jersey and New York areas.

    Ivan Petrovsky (Mustart) created a piece of art named the Hummingbird Canvas. The first thing that stood out to me about this work of art was the different colors of graffiti and images present. Seeing an image of Mickey Mouse in this work of art just seemed really out of place but upon further examination, all of the other images make up the piece together. The presence of a hummingbird and bee looks like they are both supposed to represent something. The fact that the artwork is split in half with both animals on the opposite side of each other make it seem like a good vs evil type of relationship. The side of the artwork with the bee has more of the space covered with images than the other.

   DISTORT's work is extremely different than the others. Just the fact that he uses car hoods and fire extinguishers as materials for his artwork could leave some people in disbelief. Who would think to do something like that? However, the fire extinguishers develop a very creative shape, like a scroll, that is pleasant to the eye. The car hoods basically serve as a wider canvas with more room to create art on. The Shield of Justice depicts what seems to be an abandoned area with cars and trucks scattered around as one individual car is up in flames. There seems to be a rather gloomy atmosphere and two women looking a little like ghosts are pictured beheading a man. There is no doubt that these women show power. Seeing a man being murdered by a woman was unheard of  but there came a point where women had to revolt. This shows an extreme example of revolting but the overall message is clear.

   The most interesting piece of artwork in the exhibition to me is Night in the Museum by Clarence Rich. This is a very strange painting and at first glance, it definitely doesn't seem to make any sense. The normal looking cat may be appealing but how can someone describe what is on the opposite side? The figure definitely resembles a cat but the face seems a little disfigured. This painting also reminds me of the Hummingbird Canvas  by Mustart just from the fact that they both depict two animals on opposite sides of each other in a paining split in half. What exactly do the animals represent? Why is one cat normal-looking and the other isn't? Perhaps it has something to do with the two portraits in the painting. There are two images of maybe royal figures but they both look like they have seen happier days. Then, the man in the middle looks like he is presenting some type of act or show including a green triangle. A piece of art must be interesting if there are so many questions about it. There could be many interpretations as to what each figure in the piece of art represents but that is what makes it so intriguing.

   The artwork on this exhibition is definitely unique. To know that all three of these artists work in the New Jersey and New York area is definitely influential. Any type of art, whether you use paint and brushes, coloring pencils and paper, or even spray cans can help to spread an important message.

Mustart's The Hummingbird Canvas

Mustart

DISTORT'S Shield of Justice

Clarence Rich's Night in a Museum