Creepy, crawly, awe-inspiring
By Amanda Glowish 05/04/2006
They’re creepy, they’re crawly, and most of us are repelled just by the sight of them. At the same time we are completely fascinated by them: bugs.
Armory Center for the Arts presents “Bugology,” an exhibition presenting an artistic investigation into the world of bugs. The exhibition examines wide-ranging concepts relating to design, evolution, fantasy, collaboration and invasion.
“This show brings together a diverse group of art that slows us down to appreciate and rethink our relationship to bugs,” says Armory Exhibitions Manager Elise Barclay.
This is the first time the Armory has presented an exhibition focusing on art about bugs. The idea actually originated from “Bug-Eyed,” an exhibition in northern California put together by Patricia Watts, Chief Curator at the Sonoma County Art Museum. Watts was approached by the Armory and asked to curate a similar show focusing on Southern California artists.
“Bugology” is comprised of work from 14 contemporary Southern California artists who explore what it means to relate aesthetically with these terrestrial creatures. All of the artists were selected by Watts as she conducted studio visits with the artists and became acquainted with artists around the world whose work was related to insects.
According to Barclay, many of the artists were able to make the unseen visible in their work. “They reveal details about insects that we would otherwise overlook, both in terms of their beauty and the important roles they play in our ecosystems,” she says.
For instance, the marks made on large canvases by artist John Knuth were made by flies that consumed dyed, sugar-infused water. Knuth’s project makes fly behaviors and patterns immediately visible resulting in a unique minimal work of art and a visual study of fly movement and behavior.
The Armory has received a lot of positive feedback from both artists and non-artists alike. The most common response from people seems to be an increased curiosity about bugs and their habits.
“Bugology” will hopefully give people a newfound appreciation for bugs and a better understanding of the role they play in our lives.
“Bugs inspire scientists, engineers, artists and designers, and they also sustain life on this planet,” Barclay says. “I hope that like the artists in “Bugology,” visitors to the show will see bugs as fellow inhabitants on earth with a sense of awe, respect and wonder.”
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