Curiouser and Curiouser, Curious Matters Haunt Me!

Two Guns (paper collage) by Colleen Cunningham

Arriving just before death, then leading the soul to the afterlife is the role of the psychopomp. It is a beneficent spirit, a horrible creature or in various cultures an animal. Birds, fish, dogs and horses are common manifestations. In ancient Greek mythology, Hermes was called upon to bring Persephone back from Hades so that she could spend spring and summer with her mother Demeter. Afterwards, Hermes would usher her return to the underworld. Assigned the task by Zeus, Hermes became the guide of souls to the realm of the dead. ~Introduction to Curious Matters Psychopomp

As I walked up the stairs leading to Curious Matters Gallery, an intimate space in the downtown Jersey City area, I couldn’t help but relate to Alice’s venture into Wonderland. Curiouser and curiouser indeed! I discovered many an art gem at this humble destination for art lovers tucked away on 5th street. Fortunately for me, art pioneers Arthur Bruso and Raymond Mingst are practically my neighbors, so I didn’t have to tumble down a rabbit hole to get there. Which is pretty good considering that I’m a rather lithe lad with long hair that tends to get knotty (not to be confused with naughty, unless its a Saturday night, wink…wink…

Class + Style = Raymond Mingst!

Not since the original Batman and Robin (sorry Clooney + O’Donnell, you shall never make the cut!) has there been such a perfectly balanced duo. I’m talking West and Ward here. It wasn’t long after I stumbled upon Curious Matters’ doorstep, that Mingst, with inviting smile and infectious energy in tow, greeted me with an outstretched hand.  Meanwhile, Bruso remained upstairs, at the absolute center of the gallery; his vantage point, the perfect spot that allowed him to view everyone’s reactions to the artwork, the fragments of conversation provoked by the many strong pieces that surrounded them. Bruso’s quiet and modest disposition is the absolute yang to Mingst’s eccentric ying, creating a harmony within the gallery that would make the Buddha himself quite proud.

Arthur Bruso's image will soon replace the Wikipedia entries for both "cool" and "collected"

My tallest thumbs up (touching the ceiling now) goes to how well organized the show was. It still amazes me how thoughtfully every piece was chosen and arranged in a fluid engaging order. Arthur and Raymond, with the invaluable assistance of curator/artist Vincent Como, were able to pack quite a bit of work into the humble space. Some might say that Curious Matters is a little small, but I actually thought that its size did matter (in a good way). I didn’t misspeak before, when I called Curious Matter’s Gallery “intimate”. The space is cozy, welcoming and void of any of the sterile, intimidating vibes you would get from your average Chelsea gallery.

And now, without further ado, let’s take a gander at the surreal creatures and  haunting imagery found in the world of the Psychopomp!

Remnant of an Homage to Ana Mendieta by Raymond Mingst

“I DREAMED ANA MENDIETA COULD FLY. I SAW HER LOOPING OVER
HOUSTON STREET. SHE WAVED DOWN AT ME AND SMILED.”

Through the careful arrangement of finch eggs, glass, wood and dirt, Mingst leaves the viewer with a remarkably raw image. The use of the finch eggs particularly struck me; a symbol of the unrealized potential of the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta who perished after falling 34 stories to her death in 1985. A death that still remains a mystery to today, leaving many wondering if it was murder or suicide. Well known for her late work “Silueta” that blended her silhouette with nature, I am confident that Mendieta would have been proud of Mingst’s homage to this underestimated female artist.

Emergence I by Carrie Fucile

“I HAVE BEEN…PURSUING IDEAS INSPIRED BY SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE MID-19TH CENTURY. I AM PARTICULARLY FASCINATED BY PEOPLE WHO WERE KNOWN AS PHYSICAL MEDIUMS. THESE PEOPLE, USUALLY WOMEN, WOULD EMIT A GAUZE-LIKE SUBSTANCE CALLED ECTOPLASM FROM THEIR MOUTHS AND OTHER BODILY OPENINGS.THIS ECTOPLASM WAS SUPPOSEDLY A MANIFESTATION OF A GHOST SPIRIT. …[I]T SEEMS THAT THIS CULTURAL MOMENT COMMENTS ON HOW PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO DEAL WITH DEATH,
AND THE LENGTHS THEY WILL GO TO HAVE ANY SORT OF CONTACT WITH THE OTHER SIDE.”

Emergence 5 by Carrie Fucile

Fucile ‘s black and white portraits don’t attempt to modernize the mid-19th century spirit photography that inspired them. Instead, the Emergence series achieves  an amount of eerie beauty and awe that is equal to those faded images of decades past. Fucile’s figures are still, draped in black and belong in a genre all their own, each with a gripping focus that relentlessly pulls us into “the other side”. Call me wacky, but after seeing Fucile’s work, I wouldn’t mind visiting the spirit world and chatting up a ghost or two (temporarily, of course.)

Half by Julia Forrest

“A WOMAN PRESENTS HERSELF WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE. SHE TURNS A
MIRROR TOWARDS THE VIEWER, BREAKING UP THE SOLID ENVIRONMENT.
SHE INTERACTS WITH THE LANDSCAPE, SHE WANDERS IN, BLENDING INTO
THE BACKGROUND, CHANGING WITH SCALE, OR HOLDING A PART OF THE
LANDSCAPE ITSELF. THE IMAGE BECOMES A PICTORIAL ILLUSION AND AS
PHOTOGRAPHER, I AM IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE COMPOSITION.”

In Half, Forrest continues to elaborate on the theme of nature and its connection to the female body, the photographer, the artist, and don’t forget: the viewer. Yep, I’m talking about you! Us! Everyone! The figure seen here is incomplete without the landscape, without the world that surrounds her, and the world is just as half-baked without her existence. Nothing is insignificant. Everything is connected. Half is a decadent dance between the darkness and light; the black trees behind the stark white grass, giving me no doubt that the photographer behind this lens was definitely in complete control.

Dorothy Leaving by Andrew Blaize Bovasso

“THROUGHOUT THE MEDIUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY, ARTISTS HAVE
CONSISTENTLY DESCRIBED ‘THE IMAGE AT LARGE’ AS A FRAGMENT
OF TIME NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE. MY WORK IS AN ATTEMPT AT
EXPANDING THE DEFINITIONS OF THE MOMENT IN FLEET.”

Bovasso’s “Dorothy Leaving” somehow managed to make me wonder if it was Dorothy or me who was leaving. Was she leaving my reality? Or was I escaping hers? How do we really define the fleeting  moments we have with those around us? What provokes us to remember some more than others? So many questions, so little time, huh. Yes, Bovasso achieved the impossible with this one: he blew my mind! Not an easy feat, my friends.

If your curiosity still hasn’t peaked, then you’re in luck! Stay tuned for more curious matter in Part 2 of this awesome ART/ICLE! For more information about Curious Matters Gallery, please visit their website and show them some love, bebes!

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I might be wrong, but I’m usually right!