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July 3, 2005 REVIEW =
"The
Last Taboo" =
Through
Saturday. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. =
The
verdict: A very interesting chapter of =
"The
Last Taboo" is a fitting homage to the four-man Atlanta collective
formed to raise a middle finger to all that is stodgy and sanctimonious in
the art world by organizing irreverent exhibitions on subjects ranging fr=
om
religion to Olympics pretensions, and to have a good time. For 10 years,
these artists succeeded in doing both simultaneously. =
Three of
the four artists -- David Fraley, Michael Venezia
and King Thackston -- have died, and the surv=
iving
member, Larry Jens Anderson, decided it was time to put it to rest. The
Atlanta College of Art professor is donating many of the materials he has
saved to the =
Organized
by Joey Orr, it's a reunion of sorts and a passing of the torch. Anderson,
its curator, has included works of art by the Taboo crew and alums of
previous shows as well as "Taboo virgins." He asked participant=
s to
contribute an artwork about whatever they think is still taboo. =
In a
world in which nothing is sacred, it's hard to imagine that anything is
taboo, but some of the artists managed to find it. E.K. Huckaby
made decorator pillows out of mattress ticking that look soiled from
nighttime endeavors. Eeuwww. In the anti-war
"Weapons of Masturbation," Lisa Alembik's<=
/span>
delicate drawings depict a woman who has found happiness with a warm gun.
Charles Nelson stalks the underside of =
Because
the Taboo guys were gay, homosexuality is a frequent subject. Typifying
Taboo's penchant for sardonic humor, =
For a
fuller understanding of Taboo's story and character, visit the room full =
of
memorabilia. Clippings, announcements, T-shirts and sample artworks from =
1988
to 1999 document such exhibitions as the 1989 "Johnny Detroit's
Brunch," a parody of Judy Chicago's iconic "Dinner Party."=
The
display reveals the importance and cleverness of the group's graphic
presentation and its delight in wordplay. =
Exhibitions
that aim to push boundaries are going to have their hits and misses. The
reviews on the walls include both pans and praise. The sum of what Taboo
presented, however, is greater than the parts. The collective's events we=
re
refreshing and often original. The group gave artists=
opportunities to show and viewers an opportunity to see things they would
otherwise have missed. (A painting by Ginger Bailey's fictional Buckhead folk artist -- picturing the artist trying=
on a
Christmas sweater in a Talbots
dressing room -- is a comment on the folk art industry and the "A Ma=
n in
Full" crowd.)
=
CHARLOTTE
TEAGLE / Staff =
Larry
Jens Anderson, the last surviving member of the collective Taboo, is shad=
owed
by the late King Thackston's "HIV + 15
years," a sculpture of matchsticks that mimics Rodin's "The
Thinker." =
Photo =
Richard Sherer's "Programming." =
Photo =
This
shovel, designed by Taboo, was used at the 1990 groundbreaking of the
Copyright 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
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