King Me

October 10–27, 2009 / Open Space Gallery / Baltimore, MD

King Me was a multimedia installation at Open Space conceived by walking up and down Baltimore’s Charles Street. The works in the space drew reference to one another and attempted to bring the viewer back to the same locations again and again. Familiarity and routine (as content) colluded to re-route the viewer’s perception.

Black flyers passed out by hosts foreshadowed an upcoming fashion show and the opening night’s afterparty. Zip-tied shut, the flyers remained unread in the hands of the visitors. The next morning this induced “blackout” became a pre-scription for recovery of missing information.

An automobile draped with a blue tarp sat halfway between the reception and exhibition areas. Its hood casually assumed the role of a seat, a cocktail napkin. Its rear, fitted with a boombox, incidentally became a rarefied object on display. Unplugging and pulling out, the car became itself again, providing the artists (and those who could fit) a gaybar getaway. The tarp fell, unfurling for the remaining visitors an afterimage: a dog standing in a doggy door, looking to the future while keeping two paws in the past.

Open Space presents King Me, a two-part show by DUOX, a collaborative group comprised by Dan Wickerham and Malcolm Lomax. The first part of the event happens in October, opening October 10th, 7-10pm. Bibs. Hand smeared rags. Fragrant flyers passed out by muscles. And Creative Hangovers.

The work repackages a set of motifs: black pretzels, leisure, work and labor, vacations, journals, morning preparation, transparent Casper, work clothes, sweet and salty sex, image as sculpture, masks, soaps, snacks as lunches, beards, bugs, and hot showers.

Baguettes, broom handles, grommeted belts, Cool Whip, doggy doors, lipstick, Red Bull caves, gold balls, silver birds, bronze lids, caged flight, hood ornaments, pin-striped suits, streetwear, weathervane, pizza delivery. Basically, the works are tarred and feathered.

Starbucks, Subway, Grand Central, Never on Sunday, Starbucks.

In addition, DUOX will present the second part of King Me as a one-day event on December 12th at Open Space. A collection of clear plastic promises. Heavy on top, pleasure on bottom.