Surreal Insectica and the Goo Goo Zoo

See work by Karl X. Hauser, Ken Kalman, Alison J. McLennan, Ruth Santee and Dave Yoas in our featured exhibition, Surreal Insectica and the Goo Goo Zoo.
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August 15 – September 28, 2024

Opening Reception
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 1-4 pm

Inspiring curiosity, dread and disgust, insects are arguably the true inheritors of the earth, comprising more than half of known animal species. Spanning wildly diverse habitats and a complex array of life cycles, they are both directly important to our existence and a threat to it. Eclectic sculptural works by Karl X. Hauser, Ken Kalman, Alison J. McLennan, Ruth Santee and Dave Yoas celebrate that duality in metal, plastic and wood. While some pieces replicate intricate details of common insects, others take a whimsical turn, morphing into hybrid creatures inspired by both the menacing and the absurd, where danger and humor coexist.

Joyfully colorful and captivating, Ruth Santee’s work in the Goo Goo Zoo fires up a child like wonder in explorations of insect forms veering toward imaginary bugs and attendant beasts. Santee assembles and refines pieces formed from various plastic elements such as toy parts and small appliances by fusing them together with sculpted shapes. A host of flies descends on whipped toping. Curious insect comrades strike a chord with oh so human expressions and gestures.

Humor intersects with functionality in work by Alison J. McLennan including an elegant walnut coffee table inlaid with butterflies in curly maple and set off with improbable grasshopper legs and an African mahogany stool supported by decidedly robust insect legs of a different kind. Dave Yoas’ cut tin assemblage, Pest Boy, deals in infestations; beetles, ants and bees (plus mice), while Karl X. Hauser’s 3d printed works capitalize on the risk factors involved in unexpected insect hybrids. Surreal in size, a host of riveted copper sculptures by Ken Kalman capture our everyday insect companions, silverfish, cicadas, moths and more, in beautifully patinaed pieces that can live indoors or out.

See the work IRL, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5 pm or by appointment. Open late till 8 pm on Friday, September 6th, for Oakland’s First Friday Art Walk.

Please join us Saturday, August 17th for the Opening Reception for Surreal Insectica and the Goo Goo Zoo! Check out the exhibition, greet the artists and enjoy the light refreshments served on our lovely outdoor deck.