Beastiarum Vocabulum @ Rosenberg Gallery

Jessie Boyko's unapologetic rhino fornication, her paintings are based on her travel experiences

Beastiarum Vocabulum, the new show at Goucher's Rosenberg Gallery, features artists who are exploring the relationship between animals, humans and art. The theme of the show came to curator Laura Amussen after last year's Art Basel, where she saw a number of artists investigating these ideas. The included artists each have a very different take on and reason for their animal imagery. Some worked more figuratively, and others have abstracted the animal beyond recognition, as with David Page's leather drumsticks (below), and Beverly Ress's delicate paper work.

Gowri Savoor uses animals to represent memory and its occurrence in her life

Detail from Lisa Dillin's igloo sculpture

Beverly Ress

Evan Morgan's sculptures in front of Jenny Mullins' animation

Beverly Ress

Me inside Lisa Dillin's growling sleeping bag...yes it growls

Evan Morgan's deer ducks

David Page in front of Melissa Dickenson

Lily and a friend admire Melissa Dickenson's pieces

David Page

The show as a whole has a slightly more commercial feel than past Rosenberg exhibitions. This is maybe in a large part due to the included prices, and (me, personally) having seen Page's work recently at Jordan Faye. Amussen, as always, has selected some beautiful and interesting pieces for the space, my favorites being Jenny Mullins' video and Lisa Dillin's funny/surreal/bizarre sculpture, but I think, honestly, I would like to have seen some more beasts-it is a little tame.

The show is already open to the public, but will have its opening reception on Thursday, September 25th from 6 - 8 pm.
COME SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!