Art Shape Mammoth and Freeform Art Space present the work of Seth Goodman, Jennifer McCandless, and Margaret Noble in Leggo My EGO : Pathoses of Contemporary Culture, a multi-sensory, satirical exploration into human relations in the context of hierarchical class structures and systems of control.

The human condition in contemporary American society is one largely plagued by apathy and arrogance, yet these artists have found a way to contemplate this struggle with grace. With vivid imagery and poignant narratives layered with humor and irony, these artists make earnest observations on unjust and domineering elements of society. They employ painting, sculpture, sound, and audience participation to produce an intriguing kaleidoscope of emotions and expressions of identity in response to the status quo of our consumer-based culture.

Seth Goodman grew up in a blue-collar town in New York, working his way to a middle-class existence as a painting professor. He uses oils on wood to depict exquisitely detailed, dream-like scenes that glimpse life for America’s suppressed and manipulated underclass. Commenting on political and religious dogmas that drive feelings of shame and fear, these evocatively corporeal scenes are both social critique and self-reflection as Goodman contemplates his place in the social class dynamic.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Jennifer McCandless comments on consumer culture and the reckless annihilation of natural environments by creating naturalistic, figurative ceramic sculpture finished with glossy auto paints. Her work Last Ditch Effort at Assimilation is a sardonic series of charismatic animals in an attempt to disguise themselves as people and pop culture icons in the hope that they may appeal to humans and survive without their diminishing natural habitats.

Margaret Noble reveals a mastery of craft and sensitivity to experience through interactive sculptures that combine objects, actions, and sound. Noble lives in drought-plagued Southern California and comments on social inequity and environmental irresponsibility with I Have Arrived, a series of historic lawn sprinklers on synthetic grass, complete with recorded sounds. Her interactive piece Index of Fear is a card catalog of fears portrayed through imagery, text, and sound embedded in each card. Creating personal moments in public places, Noble’s work is designed to immerse audiences in artifacts of public hierarchies, private traumas, and conflicted identities.

Leggo My EGO : Pathoses of Contemporary Culture

JUNE 10 - JULY 2 . 2016

SETH GOODMAN

JENNIFER McCANDLESS

MARGARET NOBLE

in conjunction with Art Shape Mammoth

curated by AMY JOY HOSTERMAN