Flood Gallery examines war, the media and personal battles (Asheville, NC)

[Sequoia]

If the idea of police-state-fueled political manipulation seems out of step with the search for personal identity, Flood Gallery’s current show, Insurgents, seeks the parallel ground between these disparate concepts. The high-energy, postmodern (and at times post-apocalyptic) exhibit, curated by the gallery’s new assistant director, Reneé M. Cagnina (formerly with ArtCenter/South Florida), includes work by artists from Asheville, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami.

The search for personal identity is an ongoing exploration for Miami’s Susan Lee-Chun, primarily a performance artist, who contributes two beautifully executed Lambda prints to the show. She plays with the idea of her Korean-American heritage by photographing herself dressed like a combat solider, crouching behind sandbags and peering at the viewer from her protective helmet. At first glance, Lee-Chun is just a young, pretty face at odds with the battle gear. A second glance reveals not the usual camouflage-patterned clothing, but heavily textured black lace covering the helmet, the fatigues and the protective sandbags. Lee-Chun grabs the viewer with lighthearted humor that leads to a deeper contemplation of race and otherness.

Protective clothing also provides a point of departure for artist Nelson Gutierrez of Washington, D.C., who transforms a life preserver, flak jacket and gas mask into haute couture. Gutierrez’ large-format C-prints mimic glossy upmarket magazines. “Better to be smart ...” is a self-portrait in which the artist stands with a lovely, stylishly attired woman in a luxurious living room. She wears an intricately decorated gas mask; he sports a lead flak vest detailed with embroidered Louis Vuitton monograms in various colored threads. (The actual vest is included in the exhibition, displayed on a mannequin wearing a tux shirt complete with mother-of-pearl cuff links and black bow tie.)

http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/043008floodgallery

If you're ever in Asheville the Flood Gallery always has a lot going on. Well worth a trip to see it.