An art exhibition that opened on December’s First Friday explored celebrities and how they are perceived by society through the work of six local artists.
Nicole Royse is the curator for Shade Projects at the MonOrchid, whose Shade Gallery will be presenting “Celebrity.” The exhibit showcases a selection of drawings, paintings and mixed-media works that examine what celebrity means to each artist.
“Everyone is aware of celebrities,” Royse said. “It’s very prevalent in our culture, in our society, especially today with all of the social media and things like that. I wanted to look at celebrities both present and past, and so this show showcases all the different eras. It goes from like the 1950s to Kim Kardashian.”
Royse wanted to present a fun, light-hearted show for the holiday season and said that the artwork will complement the events taking place in the space during the time the exhibition is hanging.
“We get so many people taking selfies at the gallery as it is, especially during First Friday when we have 3,000 to 4,000 people come through the doors, so it’s perfect because they’re going to be taking a picture with the celebrities,” Royse said.
Having curated and worked with many local artists before, Royse knew which artists in the area do portraits of celebrities or have done similar work in the past. Some of the artists are displaying pieces they already created, while some created work especially for Friday’s exhibition.
“I really love supporting artists that have a positive attitude, that are making quality work, that are just a pleasure to work with,” Royse said. “So I think people will really enjoy just seeing the different celebrities and their interpretations of them.”
Drawn to the world of celebrities, local artist Jon Wassom created a series of celebrity paintings several months back -– perfectly in time to be a part of the show.
Wassom recognized the influence these individuals have on society and wanted his painting process to mimic the feelings surrounding the celebrities he was portraying.
“For Lenny Kravitz, I wanted my mark-making to have the rhythmic swagger of his diverse music. For Melissa McCarthy, I wanted to use the right color palette to portray her humor. And for Brittney Griner, I wanted to apply the paint in a way to reflect her athletic stature and large movements,” Wassom said in an email interview.
Local artist Bill Taggart is a stencil artist who uses celebrities as the subjects in most of his work. Each piece he is showing in “Celebrity” contains over 80 individual stencils that he layered with different shades of spray paint to create an image.
Taggart said in an email interview he doesn’t have an issue with celebrities because they are talented individuals who use their popularity for good, for the most part. It’s society’s obsession with celebrities that bothers him, he said.
“The ‘Let’s see what the Kardashians have been up to’ ‘news’ stories, the products and clothes, the obsession with their personal lives – it’s an escape from the real news which is generally bleak, a purchased identity, and an escape from ourselves,” Taggart said in an email interview.
The opening reception for “Celebrity” is from 6-10 p.m. on Dec. 4, and there will be artists in attendance. MonOrchid is located near Second and Roosevelt streets.
There’s another chance to speak with the artists and hear about their work at the show’s closing reception on Dec. 8, also from 6-10 p.m. The show will be on display until Dec. 27 and can be viewed daily during MonOrchid business hours.
Contact the reporter at mallory.prater@asu.edu
