"Vice & Virtue" at Art Center Sarasota

"The Flying Pig" by Marcos Caraval 

The theme of this year's Annual Juried Regional Show at Art Center Sarasota is "Vice & Virtue." The program states: "By definition, vice represents behaviors deemed morally wrong by society, while virtue embodies excellence and integrity. But in today's world, where do we draw the line?...Artists were challenged to explore the shifting boundaries of morality, shaped by cultural norms, religious beliefs and political landscapes. What defines good and evil? And perhaps more intriguingly, does a gray area exist between them?" It was interesting to see how the participating artists interpreted this theme. 

Marcos Caraval's "The Flying Pig" of course made me think of the expression "when pigs fly." Of course, Caraval's intention is much deeper. The genesis of the work is the fact that different cultures treat the lowly pig in dissimilar ways. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were forbidden to eat pigs because they were deemed unclean and, therefore, were associated with vices like greed and dirtiness. In other cultures, pigs are highly regarded. If you are Chinese and born in a Year of the Pig, you are considered likely to have luck and good fortune. Koreans associate pigs with happiness and hope. And the reflecting pool? To me, it's a symbol of the fact that the way we look at things is a reflection of our culture, history and traditions. I like it.  

"Strait Jacket/Evening Gown" by Bellamy Sorba

I was quite taken with Bellamy Sorba's "Strait Jacket/Evening Gown." Most obviously, Bellamy's work provides a commentary on the extent to which a woman will wear a dress that cannot possibly be comfortable or easy to move in in order to be seen as desirable. When I spoke with Bellamy, she noted that women can build their own cages by dressing in the way society dictates. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of the intention behind her work. 

The medium -- which is difficult to appreciate in the picture -- is shopping bags, most of which came from Target. What??!!! In yet another example of the way artists' brains work differently than mine, Bellamy realized that if she tears the bags into strips, she could make them into the equivalent of yarn. Not surprisingly, it's a time-consuming process. It takes approximately three hours to convert 50 plastic bags into a ball of yarn. At this rate, she would have spent 20+ hours just turning the 1200 bags that comprise this work into usable material. That's commitment. Then she knitted the yarn into small panels and wove them together to create the final piece. It's a bit of alchemy for sure. 

You might expect Bellamy's message behind the use of this unusual material to be highlighting environmental issues. And while that's one of her points, it's not her primary concern. Instead, the former retail worker's focus is on consumption. How much do we need? How frequently do we use the things we've purchased and for how long? Do consumers, like the woman who would wear a dress like this, end up being consumed by their desires? Lots to think about. For more of Bellamy's work (including purses available for purchase), click here. 

"Peels So Good (Circa 1944)" by Alexia Benavent-Rivera

I'll leave you with "Peels So Good (Circa 1944), one of three banana-related works by Alexia Benavent-Rivera in the show. What can I say? Ever since Marizio's Cattelan's "Comedian" made its debut at Art Basel, bananas in art catch my eye. The works were created as part of Benavent-Rivera's MFA thesis project at FSU. Happily, I don't have to guess what she was thinking about when working on this series. Instead, I'll quote to you from her description. 

"Identity and cultural background are huge driving forces in my art practice. I am Puerto Rican, Panamanian and Ukrainian, and the diasporas endured by these groups have strong histories that I refer to in my work. Recently I have been focusing on the Banana Wars in Central and South America, a time of brutal greed and American imperialism that too often gets brushed under the rug. The effects of these times are still felt today by millions of people in Central and South America, so I work to create awareness of the issue and hold a space for those affected.

The rotten banana exterior lampoons how this bright and sweet fruit forged the backbone of a dozen corrupt regimes propped up by imperialist corporations. The animating force comes not from the long since sold off banana flesh but from an inner layer of frogs, representing the people of these nations. The poses are emblematic of Chiquita Banana company ads, which played up the exoticism of Latin American women to sell their products." 

Benavent-Rivera's other works -- one a photograph and the other a sculpture -- are of partially peeled bananas. They are quite provocative, especially the ceramic piece that includes a garter belt. I get the message behind that one and will never look at a banana quite the same way again. For more on Benavent-Rivera and her work, click here. 

"Vice & Virtue" continues at Art Center Sarasota through August 2nd. It's an interesting and thought-provoking show.