Continuing through May 30, 2015
Political commentary from two distinct countries informs this two-person show, which juxtaposes cast-bronze figurines and serpentine mirrors by Siri Devi Khandavilli of India against the glass, paper and mixed media works of Reynier Leyva Novo of Cuba. Each artist offers their own salient message. For Khandavilli, it’s expressed in “Darpana Sundari (Beauty Holding a Mirror),” a seven-foot-high bronze goddess with all the accoutrements of femininity but with a dog’s face. The image serves as both a critique of women’s status in Indian society and a celebration of their beauty and diva-like qualities.
For Novo the message comes on the heels of the new detente between President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. “The Glass Kiss” is a 25-foot-long shelf of crystal goblets, each etched with the face of an American or Cuban president. The central goblets represent the still-fragile relationship of the current leaders. All 70 goblets are carefully aligned, with the faces silhouetted on the white wall behind them. In addition, Novo explores Cuba’s history of war heroes with “Los olores de la guerra (The Scents of War),” a preciously displayed assemblage of three filled perfume bottles labeled with the names of three historical leaders and the battles in which they died. Khandavilli, for her part, has created a number of seven-inch-high cast-bronze “deities,” all bearing the iconography of Hindu goddesses, though often with a tongue-in-cheek twist. One figurine with a dog’s head wears a Stetson and slings two guns. Politics, religion and society are just a part of this issue-oriented yet aesthetically rich international stew.
