Fun and Games at Hostos College, Bronx NY

Vanessa Gonzalez, co-curator of Hostos Longwood Gallery exhibit

The latest exhibition at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos College is entitled Toys and Games with a Twist. The exhibit opens with the playful Fukuwarai set by the artist Reiko Kawahara. It is a large earthenware face, and viewers get to stick on the facial features like eyes, nose, mouth, and moustache. People stick the earthenware forms with a sort of gum. It could be a bit frustrating, since if one did not use enough sticky gum, the earthenware feature would fall down and shatter on the floor. It’s definitely a hands-on exhibit. Paintings included in the exhibit had the arresting quality of combining painstaking realistic craftsmanship with a fantasy theme. In the painting, Marble Eggs, 2007, by Douglas Newton, a pink table cloth shows through a wine glass, showing the odd focusing of light through the glass. To the side is a rabbit, frozen in time, and in the foreground are the two large marble eggs that are the focus of the picture. Next, in the painting, Sometimes They Like You Back, 2007, by Gigi Chen, realistic young men and women face toys that still look playful, but also lifelike, large and threatening. A funny scene is created with people running from the toys, and yet others embracing toys. It is not clear who is playing with whom. This is, I guess, part of the twisted part in the Toys and Games exhibit title. The twisted part of toys is further examined in issues of beauty and sexuality in the multimedia installation, Mizamerica: Here She Comes, by Hector Canonge. Lines of undressed Barbie Dolls are lined up against the wall under a series of colored lights representing a black-and-white American flag. In the first row, the dolls are all white-skinned, while more recent rows have more dark-skinned Barbies. The implication is that the beauty pageant became racially integrated, though the change is only superficial More edgy exhibits follow, including an electrically animated toy with a man in shorts on all fours, and a woman restraining him with a leash. This is followed by several small fertility goddess statues that seem to have a dual purpose. So the Toys and Games exhibit does have a twist that can be slightly shocking though usually funny and thought provoking. The exhibition is curated by Juanita Lanzo and Vanessa Gonzalez, in partnership with Curate NYC, a juried exhibition and online marketplace that exists to heighten exposure and opportunities for New York City visual artists. Also on display were the portraits of Michael Ferris, a former winner of the BRIO (Bronx Recognizes Its Own) Award. Mr. Ferris was giving advice to upcoming contestants for the BRIO awards that include cash prizes. Artists can apply for the 2012 awards, with a deadline of January 27, 2012. Please see http://bronxarts.org for more information. Longwood Gallery is located inside Hostos College at East 149th St and Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY.