Annette, formerly of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, describes herself as an "artist, curator, art blogger/wrtier, and something of an under-paid pre-fash consultant." Which is pretty accurate, I'd say. She also plays in a noisy great band called Paper Napkin with R.E.Loaders Gerik & Mayu, and she is witty and saucy and fun.
The show consisted of primarily drawings, in the broadest sense of the word, with plenty of good old-fashioned coloring in. Often depicting scenes, the works are crowded images with dozens of people doing whatever it is they do inside the frames of her large pages. My absolute favorite part about Annette's drawings is the careful attention she gives to she strands on each little person's head. You can almost be there it's so true.
I really liked "Dial 481" and "Really Full Subway Car", but the true show stealer was probably the gigantic hand drawn black and white American Flag, entitled "Spiderman." Hanging across an entire wall of the small room, the stars and stripes could be glimpsed through the windows from the street.
I realize I'm predisposed to like Annette's work because I know her as a person, but I also really love the fact that she was born and raised in Ohio. And for this, the black flag--a reconciliation of Annette's feelings both of and against this country--I found to be a really honest, tactile manifestation of the emotion of politics.
And there were even Party Favors: tiny sets of drawings and text configured into a small book:
At the end of all this merrymaking, we discovered that Nerds poured into a High Life, a happy couple do not make. See: That Guy at the art opening.
So happy birthday, Annette. And well done.
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