‘HELLO MASTERPIECE’ EXHIBITION BY LESLIE HOLT
ARTIST PRESENTS MINIATURE OIL PAINTINGS JUXTAPOSING HISTORIAL WORKS WITH HELLO KITTY
Local St. Louis artist, Leslie Holt, creates a bizarre, but delightful twist on art appreciation in her “Hello Masterpiece” series of diminutive oil paintings. By juxtaposing the character, Hello Kitty, with quintessential images from art history, the artist creates a clash of iconography whose outcome is a clever intersection of pop culture and antiquity. Holt makes her canvases souvenir style, similar to postcards in a museum gift shop, transforming the masterworks into take-home sized objects, while lampooning their high brow context as commodities in a consumer market.
In these paintings, Hello Kitty tours art history donning themed costumes to “match” elements of the famous paintings she visits. Kitty becomes a toy version of Cindy Sherman, capable of changing identities by transforming her outer appearance. However, her “toyness” and her obvious overlay on the image disrupt any illusion that she actually fits in the scene of the artwork.
In other images from this series, Hello Kitty is pointing toward social or political issues, such as war, genocide, or gender identity. Holt states, “I rely on her to charm the viewer into looking, but her innocent, playful appeal contrasts with the serious adult subject matter. With this contrast of adult and childlike content and these ‘high’ and ‘low’ cultural icons, I hope to elicit laughter and irony.” The resulting paintings become a discordance of high and low culture and a humorous commentary on the commodification of art.
Sixty of Holt’s miniature paintings including Hello Botticelli, Hello Goya, Hello Guernica, Hello Degas, Hello Matisse, Hello Picasso and Hello VanGogh will be on view at phd gallery May 10-June 21, 2008 with an opening reception from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2008. phd gallery is located at 2300 Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Gallery hours are from noon to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday and by appointment by calling 314.664.6644.
Leslie Holt is from Bethesda, Maryland but considers herself a naturalized citizen of St. Louis, MO. She earned her BFA in Painting at Washington University in St. Louis in 1992 and her MFA in Painting at Washington State University in 2003. Between undergraduate and graduate school, she worked in St. Louis as a social worker and advocate for people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and people receiving welfare benefits. These experiences have influenced her work, and she has an ongoing interest in the intersection of art and community. Holt currently lives in St. Louis and teaches at Fontbonne University, St. Louis Community College, and Lewis and Clark Community College. She has exhibited in various locations nationally and internationally.
Additional phd gallery Events
Ensemble – A Gallery First Group Exhibition
A first for phd gallery, Ensemble features ten artists in a group exhibition using various media, including ceramics, sculpture, painting, and photography. On view are artists by phd gallery, including: Joe Chesla, Rebecca Eilering, Leslie Holt, Ken Konchel, David Lancaster, Metra Mitchell, Jeff Palmer, Stan Trampe, David Wallace, Rebecca Trawick, and Lin Xu.
