Pop: The Global Citizen

• Museum: Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

• Visit Date: December, 2008

• Description:

  A painted Humvee door, a recreated oriental rug that juxtaposes images of Brittany Spears and Snow White and a ceramic blue and white Santa Claus…these are all objects that can be seen in PoP: The Global Citizen. This exhibition features American based artists who have explored the influence of popular culture in our global art world. The interesting twist is that every work in the exhibition combines current Western cultural elements with non-Western pop culture.

  The gallery space is small, with stark white walls, tall ceilings and wood floors. Some of the pieces in the exhibition did not fit in the gallery space and therefore spilled into the Center’s hallway. When I first walked into the space, my eyes bounced around the gallery. Everything was vibrant or wacky and screamed for my attention.

  There were a few pieces I noticed right away. Two of the ceramic objects by Leopold L. Foulem were an intriguing mix of East meets West. They were created in the classic Chinese blue and white motif. One portrayed Santa Claus and the other was a teapot with a small image of two males. Across from these vitrines was a terra cotta and mixed media sculpture titled “you’re the bomb” by Benjamin Schulman. The sculpture was of seven young boys each holding there own tricolored penis (meant to imitate our favorite American Popsicle). Next to this sculpture were two Humvee doors with painted images of pin-up girls. Artist, Wayne Coe uses the commercialization of news and government propaganda to inspire his work.

  Most interesting to me were the six pieces of sculpture at the end of the gallery by artist Sin-Ying Ho. From a distance, each piece looked like a traditional Chinese vase; however, with a closer look I was able to see their remarkable detail. In each of her pieces she has transformed porcelain vessels into unfamiliar sculptures by deconstructing and then reconstructing the form. Parts of the sculpture appear to be recycled teapots, vases and cups. She hand painted each vessel and then applied computer decal images of the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe, Wonder Woman and Barbie – to name a few.

  There were text panels throughout the exhibition to provide additional context for the viewer (something I was very grateful for during my visit) and gallery guides that gave further insight into three of the featured art works. By the end of my visit, some objects still appeared wacky and others…more beautiful than ever.

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