Tainted Dream Exhibit
Published 7:00 am Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Take a close look at the Multiplicity of Desire, and youll realize the strange pattern is actually formed by nude, headless Barbie dolls. True, most boys go through a stage where they mutilate their sisters dolls, but shouldnt John Sloan be past that? Actually, his Tainted Dream exhibit (through May 31) is an examination of cultural stereotypes and desire, as expressed in doll tableaus. Employing digital and traditional film photography, Sloan arranges Barbie and Bratz dolls into images both familiar and abstract. Barbie visiting Nordstrom we can understand as an indictment of consumerism (plastic woman, plastic credit cards, etc.), but Bratz dolls holding the decapitated heads of their male counterparts suggests something more disturbing. Sloan creates an eerie microcosm of modern society, but Barbie-lovers beware: The blonde babe has a close call with a spider almost as large as she is. Shift Collaborative Studio, 306 S. Washington St., www.shiftstudio.org. Free. Opening reception 5-8 p.m. JOSHUA LYNCH
Thu., May 1, 5-8 p.m., 2008
