Rusty Epiphanies: Darke Ruinations John D. Carlucci @ Eve N Odd Gallery

Crislip Arcade

I regularly see John D. Carlucci and Jennifer Pasquill at the Sake Bomb's sidewalk tables. He often has a small easel up and can be seen working. His work consist of assemblages focused on dark subjects, things like death, decay, and political issues. The images are creepy and not cute, yet cerebral in nature. Most have sculptural, 3-D aspects and upcycle discarded objects, particularly dolls.

John D. Carlucci, "Electronic Baby Kali"

It was an unusual venue for this kind of work, drawing a strong contrast with the rest of the art in the gallery. On the left is a picture of Carlucci's "Electronic Baby Kali". It consists of a blue baby doll with two sets of arms, wires plugged into its head, connected to a keyboard. The Hindu Goddess Kali is rarely, if ever depicted in the way we see her here, as a baby. In a sense, the figure is a metaphorical stand-in for the computer. Kali, as everyone knows, is known as The Destroyer and also as Time and in many sources, the greatest of the Gods. She is also The Protectress and The Creatrix. Computers could be said to be analogic to all these qualities.

John D. Carlucci, "Death May Die"

 "Death May Die", seen on left, raises the question about Death's mortality. Is it possible for Death to succumb to himself? We see a perhaps 18" tall figure in a box (coffin?), with wings, made from the armature from an umbrella, protruding outside the box as if the webbing had already decayed.The figure looks suspiciously like an artists' manikin.

John D. Carlucci, "Steampunk Dream Chest"

 "Steampunk Dream Chest" is small. How large a container is required to hold a dream? Or the usual super-sized kind? About the size of a tin of Altoids,, the box has four small dials, their arrows akimbo. In the box, small parts lie loose on the bottom. In the foreground, a small tank mounted . This work, in part, addressed the decay of dreams themselves. The rusty container a metaphor for the place most of us hold our dreams: Our minds.









Congratulations to shown artist John D.Carlucci and gallerist Jennifer Kosharek and her Eve N Odd Gallery for a good and unexpected show.

--- Luis