Jimmy Rage and Kato Tan “Dollywogs and Collectables” 24.01 – 15.02.2009
January 24, 2009 2:51 pm
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| From January 24 till February 15, 2009, Gallery WM and Anthropologists in Art: Blaton & Rypson (Strypson) present: “Dollywogs & Collectables”
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| “Dollywogs and Collectables” is wordsmith and multimedia artist Jimmy Rage’s subtly humorous take on the race dolls that are traded as genuine replica of ethnic artefacts. Ranging from the exquisitely delicate to the fascinatingly grotesque, fetished with a multifarious assortment of objets trouvés. These sculptures are a hallmark of Rage’s gregarious artistic expression. Dolly taken from the patois word “dollybaby” and “wog” taken from the racist terminology towards dark skinned people.“Dollywogs and Collectables” incorporates a multitude of themes and implications, from modes of identity, faux-tribalism and something-from-nothing entrepreneurship, to deification, iconography and other forms of communicative religiosity; the viewer cannot but be fascinated and overwhelmed by the sheer richesse of the sculptures.The photographs of the dollywogs by Kato Tan transcend the confines of mere documentation to become trophies, sculptures even, reminiscent of the chromo-lithographs of Roman-Catholic icons. Giving themselves their own valued signifier in the form of name and ingredient, the titles are colloquial, proverbs providing wisdom or caution. Take the Bonehead “a stumble is not a fall” dollywog.. whose combination is that of a playful Frankenstein, part doll, part robotic, part transformer ..a godzilla. |
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| With their luminous quality and sheer magnitude of scale Dollywogs and Collectables indeed become photographic trophies.
*Each wog comes with a lifetime guarantee of hair-, nail- or shell replacement. It is as, the Wog marketing department puts it, “man made”, the human touch a unique piece |
Tags: Jimmy Rage, Kato Tan