Local artists create mysterious collaborations

Chris Suarez
Staff Writer

Draw something which resembles either the head, torso or legs of a decaying body – a simple enough task, but these were roughly the only instructions given to collaborating artists featured in the Exquisite Corpse exhibit at 1708 Gallery this month.

It was not until the exhibit opened at the beginning of October that many of the participating artists saw their creations. The collective end result — several compositions each melding the skill and style of three unique and vibrant artists. Inspired by early 20th century Surrealist compositions, local artists worked together to create works of art known as Exquisite Cadaver, or originally named by its French inventors as “cadavre exquis.”

Folded into thirds, each piece was temporarily granted to an artist to paint, draw, ink or otherwise create their contribution. Following the initial contributor, the next artist would only be given a glimpse of what leads into their third. Once given a baseline, artists would then follow-up and add their creative vision.

“Surrealists, by their whole (modus operandi), are delving into the shared unconscious and pulling from it as source material,” said 1708 Gallery Director Emily Smith. “A lot of work which Surrealist artists and writers made deal with dreams to some capacity. It’s like automatic drawing, it’s the unburdened mind that’s creating the artwork and all of the trappings of your conscious and decision-making are gone.”

Much like the originators of the practice, artists featured in the gallery this month assembled surreal creations resembling animals, creatures and people. Because of the abstract nature inherent to creating works of art where artists don’t know the final product, no piece is similar to the other. According to Smith, artists were not told who their collaborators were when adding to the exhibit.

“What’s fun to look across all of them is the ways that people continued the other drawings,” Smith said. “In some cases, people took cues from the palette and used the color by the artists preceding them. In other cases, it’s the hint of a line and seeing it continued.”

Now considered an artistic process, the concept of Exquisite Corpse derives from an old parlour game played by Surrealist artists and their adherents. Many people may also recognize the game’s concept in its literary focused form: Mad Libs.

Despite the unique perspectives, sometimes-cohesive, sometimes-different, Smith said the process is meant to reveal and say something about the human condition.

“It’s the notion that deep, deep down, everyone is pulling from the same place,” Smith said. “That idea coupled with allowing for a chance to be part of the art-making process are really the two veins in which the game tapped into Surrealists’ interest.”

In addition to the exhibit pieces which patrons may place bids on all this month, a large Exquisite Corpse mural created live during this month’s First Friday Art Walk is on display.
Staying with the somewhat-macabre theme of the exhibit and the Halloween season, 1708 Gallery will be holding a Day of The Dead party on Nov. 1. Pre-sale tickets for the event are online now for $10. Admission to enter the gallery the night of the event — which includes catering from La Milpa Mexican-Aztec restaurant, entertainment and a cash bar — is $15. All proceeds will go to the non-profit 1708 Gallery organization.