The “Pancakes and Booze Art Show” has been around since it began in 2009 as a way for emerging underground artists to gain exposure. So far, the traveling exhibit has swept several cities across the United States (including Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles) like a circus where in place of actual animals they feature portraits of coy pigs with the body of a nude buxom woman or a black and white giraffe covered in neon rainbow liquid. Instead of twirling batons of fire, there was vibrant, sometimes nude, body-painting. And in lieu of any demonic, red-nosed clowns, there were giant red afros, over sized glasses, pharaoh hats and hook hands in store for an in-house photo booth. If this sounds chaotic, be prepared. I haven’t even gotten to the art.
Like a traveling tent enterprise, the “Pancakes and Booze Art Show” was an eclectic ensemble affair. Bar 4N5, with its maze-like setup of gallery space, provided the ideal space for artists that had little in common besides a shared sense of boldness and self-promotion. To the left of the entrance, adjacent to the perpetually long line for pancakes, hung portraits of Homer Simpson and Guy Fawkes refashioned by Joel Millikan in the style of exotic, Hindu-esque patterns.
A simple jaunt to the right of this bedazzled Homer and you could see Michelle and Barack Obama, in bright orange acrylics and oil, cavorting with rayguns thanks to the pop culture reimagining of artist LaRon Emcee. A glance to the right and there was Kanye decked in primary colors, Morrissey and Frida Kahlo atop Art Nouveau-inspired images of peacocks and delicate, Victorian women.
Around the corner and behind the wild cavorting of the photobooth patrons was the beautiful but bizarre work of Emily Fromm. In a style reminiscent of the East Bay’s own Daniel Clowes, Fromm’s art incorporated the clean lines of comic books with the surreal imagery of dog faces in ice cream cones and fish planted atop a woman’s breasts. As you edged your way deeper into the space, the pieces became stranger in subject and more complex in medium.
In between a series of neon and metal sculptures by native Mexican artist Catarina Hosler and a towering depiction of rapper Mos Def, hung the antique books of Jamila Rufaro — carved into bewitching compartments filled with wondrous doohickeys. About 10 feet forward and three steps to your right, you could find what was one of the stand-out pieces in a show brimming with original designs. Combining what seemed to be the only two common threads of the night — animals and unorthodox human parts — Josh Smother’s “Four Humors of the Subconscious Mind” melded haunting figures of decrepit men with brilliant, pink and purple farm animals in a painting reminiscent of William Blake’s best nightmares.
And much like Smother’s pastiche fused the odd and the dreamlike, “Pancakes and Booze” managed to merge such disparate and innovative works under the auspice of good food and good company. It was a street fair, a circus, a cocktail party, an underground dance house and a fine art gallery all held together for the love of drink, pancakes and creativity.
Contact Jessica Pena at [email protected].