This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 4, 2013 - The hoodie makes repeated appearances in Daniel McGrath’s new exhibit, Dark Star, at the Good Citizen Gallery. McGrath connects this ubiquitous apparel staple with the assumption of criminal intent that many associate with a look that is appealing for comfort and low-key style.
McGrath’s masterful use of very disparate forms of artistic expression allows room for multiple interpretations of each individual artwork. Yet, the combined effect of his drawings, sculptures and mixed media works communicates a coherent message.
His LED sign, Cell Phone and accompanying clay cell phone announce this exhibit as a “meta” exploration of an idea. With references to riots in London, Paris and around the world, McGrath points toward the power this still very new, yet commonplace, tool brings to the individual in society. Many can organize as one with this tool. Then, again, to text or play games or check twitter feed in a crowd is to exit the larger environment
McGrath intends his two life-size sculptural forms dressed in identity-covering clothes to illicit associations of iconic street style. Entering the gallery, these figures could be mistaken as living, though the impression dissolves at sight of the metal pole supporting the less-realistically posed body.
The hoodie connotes anonymity and outsider status as well as casual chic – think of Treyvon Martin and the public discourse about the multiple interpretations of this clothing item that came out of his tragic death.
McGrath’s large mural installation, CCTV – 2012, is many things. It is a compelling scene - the frame is filled by hooded figures, in light and in shadow. It is also a powerful exercise in color – bright, saturated colors form a tessellating geometric pattern.
Like Georges Seurat’s popularly familiar pointillism technique, McGrath’s acrylic diamonds work through contrasts in color. The colors are sharp, but the pixelating effect of the assemblage of sharp geometric shapes obscures the scene. What is visible from a distance is difficult to see up close. When viewed in person, these systematically arranged components create an illusion of movement, so each of the figures appears engaged in activity. The affect is compelling.
Is the exhibit title taken from the eponymous 1974 B movie described by its director, John Carpenter, as Waiting for Godot in space? Or for the (again, matching title) Ray Bradbury story that sparked at least part of that strange movie script? Or perhaps for Dark Star Orchestra, the Grateful Dead tribute band, that plays at the pageant on Feb. 7? None of these seems likely, but like McGrath’s artwork, the title evokes multiple associations, each independently interesting.
Sarah Hermes Griesbach is a freelance writer.