Continuing through May 12, 2011
New York based, Cuban born artist Manuel Pardo creates intricate figurative drawings of stylish women that he limns using Gelly Roll pens filled with glitter. The centerpiece of this show is a group of forty 12 x 15 inch drawings of fancily attired and coifed women that are inspired by 1940's fashion shots, pop culture and cartoons. Each woman wears an elegant gown, large, dramatic jewelry and elaborate make-up. Echoing the stylized attire are settings that combine 1930's glamour with colorful Matisse-like patterns on patterns of overstuffed, overly decorated rooms. Pardo is paying homage to his self-sacrificing mother, Gladys, who moved here from Cuba to give her children a better life. The artist says, "I give her everything she did not have in real life: elaborate hairdos, fancy designer dresses and lavish surroundings all placed in the time period where she would have enjoyed them."
The exhibition also features four 40's style dresses and gowns, designed by Pardo, made just for the show. One gown, "Trust," has a repeated pattern of a blowjob, and is dedicated, Pardo explains, "to housewives everywhere who were at the mercy of their husbands' fidelity." The dramatic installation enhances the work with angled, painted walls, stage-type lighting and a 20-foot high reproduction to scale of a Pardo drawing.
Cal State Fullerton, Begovich Gallery
