Music in the Trenches: New Paintings by Kate Samworth
Kate Samworth is an artist of fanciful little worlds, imaginary places where mythic musicians perform on stages levitating over cypress swamps, where conquering armies ride improbable beasts under enigmatic banners, and where towering Mephistophelean figures pass the phone to tiny consumers in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Where does she get this stuff? More than imaginary freaks, Samworth's little people are metaphors for the madness of the humans who occupy the world stage, allegories of the shenanigans that go on all around us in everyday life. Or as she says, "Faced with orange alerts, disastrous environmental policies and the erosion of democracy under the 'Patriot Act,' I struggle daily to find peace. ... Influenced by Twain and Celine as well as Daumier and Goya, I use humor to express concern for man's fate." -- D. Eric Bookhardt
Through April 29
Lemieux Galleries, 332 Julia St., 522-5988; www.lemieuxgalleries.com
click to enlarge
