Continuing through February 15, 2014
Google “feel better” and 130,000,000 suggestions for attaining happiness pop up in 0.24 seconds. If the American Dream is working, why are so many of us overdosing on sugar laden treats or seeking joy in the endless line-up of adorable pets that populate You Tube? Miyoshi Barosh opens her examination of this conundrum by confronting us with “Feel Better,” a mattress-sized wall sculpture of a chocolate bar flecked with gold, imprinted with its title, commanding us to improve our emotional state. This humungous symbol addressing the pitfalls of destructive consumption is in a face-off with four digital prints of adorable kitties across the room. A scattering of burns revealing underlying collages of colorful printed fabrics mars the kittens’ irresistible faces. In an adjoining room, Barosh’s “Arcadia” is a standout adaptation of crazy quilt fabrics into a folksy 3-dimensional suggestion of computer gaming landscapes. Re-interpretations of vintage post cards of scenic America with titles such as “Monument to Manipulated State of Well Being” reinforce sculptures including “Monument to the Triumph of the Therapeutic,” emboldening Barosh’s captivating examination of a variety of ways in which cultural failure has become internalized.
