R

They Came from Planet Rainbow Sparkles Overview

The Window Display

The Violet (Red-Violet) Section

The Red Section

The Orange Section

The Yellow Section

The Green Section

The Blue Section

The Indigo (Blue-Violet) Section

ed, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, the colorful array that compose a rainbow , all of which adorned the wall at the They Came from Planet Rainbow Sparkles exhibition. And all 39 participating artists in the event were given one of those seven colors to incorporate into their pieces, thus ensuring that the Clutter Gallery could display the full spectrum. But a color denotes more than simply a shade or hue, each one has their own intangible ‘feel’ associated with them, and the best artists found a way to convey even this through their works.Set apart from the wall’s flowing color cycle, Ayako Takagi ‘s wobniaR, or Rainbow Inverted, Franken Uamou made for the perfect self-contained works to herald what would follow. And her Green and Pink Polkadot Uamou, while less all-inclusive, does include spots of pink that visually lead one nicely to the first color blocked section.Instead of a more light purple use of violet, the gallery opted to use the red-violet variation, an almost pink tone.As such, we can assume these pieces should embody that delicate color, which Americans typically associate first-and-foremost with girls. As such, MJ Hsu ‘s Pip in the Starry Sky, the artist’s first attempt at doll making, is a perfect contribution. Even though this piece’s anatomy and hairstyle appear gender-neutral, there’s something about its thick eyelashes that harkens to its femininity. But pink isn’t solely for women, as the color has historically represented anything that is sweet, playful, and cute. And all of these are clearly embodied by Paola Abengózar ‘s wide-eyed, hairy monsters, this trio of beasts, done under the artist’s Miss Little Zombie guise, exuding emotion from their gaping mouths.Red is a color of contrasts, simultaneously alluding to passion, desire, and lust as well as rage, anger, and danger. Embodying all these traits is La Catrina by Jump Jumper Ant (Gahel Ocampo), a rendition of the skeletal La Calavera Catrina adorned in her finery. This character not only represents trying to make Mexico’s folklore of worshiping the dead acceptable to the upper classes, but it is also a symbol for the suffering inflicted by the wealthy upon the poor. With Ocampo’s signature eye element allowing La Catrina‘s unblinking gaze to constantly follow the viewer ( learn more here ), this piece radiates a feeling of determination and instills an uneasiness in those who see it. But there is also a joyful side to red, shown in the platonic love that Rattle & Rockboy share, a duo of friends created by artist Jaykblu (Jaykishen Bhatt), one sitting upon the other, both seemingly happy with the arrangement. And, finally, red is the color of blood and fire, the latter of which is simply expressed through fades of color on the Flaming Zakorus, a swarm of fish shapes merged into a monstrous form, by the husband-and-wife team Chima Group Orange promotes a sense of compassion, passion, and warmth, all of which are beautifully exemplified in Erica Borghstijn ‘s two relief sculptures, Antelope Girl and Ram Boy, who are giving furtive glances of longing to one another. Capturing their unashamedly naked forms in perfect poses, conveying emotion with every twist and turn, it is their heartfelt eyes that are the crowning achievement in their creation. And Borghstijn’s sitting Bison Girl piece epitomizes the opposite, the heartbroken person using the color to recover from their emotional wound, an orange flower held aloft and used in a ‘game’ of he loves me, he loves me not Yellow has conflicting associations. On the one hand, it is the color of sunshine, happiness, and optimism, while on the other, it indicates cowardice and deceit. With no single piece able to embody all these aspects, the works by Valency Genis come closest, her Seussian creations defying their faux taxidermy appearance by being filled with a vibrancy of life. And to be able to gaze upon them without cracking at least a smirk is quite the feat, as their adorable details, like a quivering lip and slightly floppy ear, are truly joyous to behold.Though none of the works illustrate the greed or jealousy one might correlate with green, several are manifestations of its gentler side, that being the color of life, nature, and growth. Such as the polymer clay covered cacti creations by Domenico Scalisi and Tomodachi Island (Emelie Jensen), titled Maximiliana Pinky and BooCactoo respectively. Reminding the viewer that these spiny plant flourish in even the most arid environments, both are adorned with flowers to heighten the sensation of life, their dynamic facial expressions solidifying this impression.When one is ‘feeling blue’, they are filled with sadness, and that’s exactly what emotes from Steve Ferrera ‘s bulbous Edith sculpture. There’s a resignation to its sitting stance, its tendril-like, stumpy appendages dangling listlessly. And even though two flowers bloom from its head, its massive eyes and covered mouth show no sign of happiness gained from this. Conversely, blue is also the color of the sea, the flowing waves concealing an intricate world underneath. And that’s a perfect manner in which to describe the works by Danny Roldan , his hand-decorated Munny figures covered in an abundance of sinuous linework, a microcosm of plant-like life revealing itself.In place of the dark blue interpretation of indigo, the blue-violet version was used, which appears more like a purple. Combining the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red, purple is associated with a plethora of descriptors. For instance, it can indicate mystery, which is perfectly encapsulated in the ball-joint doll creations of Nympheas Dolls (Sophie “K6” Louis). The two purple haired girl characters especially exude this feeling, Luciole with her subtle, knowing look and Squirrel‘s quizzical expression. Purple can also denote power, like that which the armadillo exerts over his bumblebee captive in the hand-painted Bee Mine resin sculpture by Seriously Silly K (Kathleen Voigt). Or purple can hint at the magical, as seen in the diorama constructions of CocoRiang (Kim Sujung), her own anthroporphic animal Cheeriya creations standing upon solidified clouds, a star strewn tangle decorating their bases.The They Came from Planet Rainbow Sparkles group exhibition at Clutter Magazine Gallery had its opening reception on Saturday, August 12th from 6-9pm. All works in this exhibition will remain on display until September 1st, 2017 at the gallery’s physical location ( 163 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508 ).

View the gallery’s dedicated page for the exhibition

Josh Mayhem's Solo Show of Blown Away Works Nick Curtis For his first solo exhibition, artist Josh Mayhem focused on his popular Blown Away concept, in which he augments sculptural forms with sideways strands of resin to create a wind swept appearance. Displaying twelve works along these lines in his aptly titled Solo Show at Beacon, NY's Clutter Gallery, Mayhem…