WONDER: Social Surrealism in Contemporary Art

WONDER: Social Surrealism in Contemporary Art features art done by Kristy Deetz, Edie Dillon, Chas Frisco, and Jeff Leake whose work engages pecularity and curiosity to comment on current social and environmental themes.

WONDER: Social Surrealism in Contemporary Art connects four artists whose work engages peculiarity and curiosity to comment on current social and environmental themes. Social Surrealism, a term coined during the Depression Era, originally referred to artists who used elements of the illogical and dream-like to address socio-political issues. In contemporary culture, artists expand on the ethos of Social Surrealism by using imagery rooted in absurdity and wonder to contemplate the pressing issues of our times. Kristy Deetz (Green Bay, WI) integrates digital media and technology in the process of converting the artist’s dark-humored paintings into collaborative industrial weavings; Edie Dillon (Prescott, AZ) makes sculptural assemblages that respond to human and environmental predicaments and the balance between serendipity and intention; Chas Frisco (Flagstaff, AZ) creates hand-built and pit-fired ceramic sculptures that suggest landscapes and dreams suspended between ephemeral and physical realms; and Jeff Leake (Portland, OR) paints meticulous oil paintings on unconventionally shaped panels that delve into the intersection of human behavior, cultural ideals, and the natural world. These artists identify curiosity as the natural human tendency to want to learn and understand more about the world around us—a world that is rapidly developing new technologies that are evolving how we think about creative practices.

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