March 5, 2004 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Holy artwork, Batman!

A dynamic duo is among creators exploring the nexus of comics and art

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Queer artist Andy Warhol and his protégé Jean-Michel Basquiat are only two of the artists whose work is featured in the exotic pastiche of pop and cartoon art currently on display at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus.

Keith Haring, who died of AIDS in 1990, is also featured in the exhibition. Haring's work, playful and quirky, has moved out of the hallowed spaces of museums and been widely used in corporate icons, ads and marketing.

"Splat! Boom! Pow! The Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art" is an exhibition of nearly 70 works of art using cartoon imagery. This colorful show will run until May 2, marking the only Midwestern stop on its national tour. "Splat! Boom! Pow!" is being exhibited in the Wexner Center's downtown galleries at the Belmont Building, 330 West Spring St., while the center receives a facelift on the Ohio State University's main campus. This exhibition, organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, is a survey of the impact of cartoons on contemporary art. But it is also chronicle of the social and political issues of the past 40 years, like American commercialism, the Vietnam War, sexism and racism.

Thus, the seemingly fun and frolicksome techniques of cartoon imagery are applied by these artists to issues that are anything but. The tension between technique

and context makes

this show a must

see, especially in

times like ours where sexism, racism and homophobia are rampant and where the Vietnam War's ghosts are haunting the killing fields in Iraq. Thus, not only is this show a historical one, but it also is relevant and prescient about the current world.

The show features works in a variety of media-painting, photography, sculpture, and video-by more than 30 emerging and established artists, including Roger Shimomura, Elizabeth Murray, Roy Lichtenstein (who got his BFA degree at Ohio State),

Dara Birnbaum, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Kenny Scharf, and Henry Darger.

The curators of "Splat! Boom! Pow!" have divided the exhibition into three sections, each addressing the varying modes of communication and differing methodologies borrowed by contemporary artists from the world of comics and cartooning. Above all, this is a wonderful show that deals with the complexities of the American identity in colorful, playful and meaningful ways.

A number of related events have been planned by the Wexner for this exhibition, including panel discussions, seminars and other opportunities to meet with some of the leading voices in the contemporary art world. See the Wexner site www.wexarts.org or call 614292-0330 for more information.

The gallery opens at 11 am Tuesday through Friday, closing at 6 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday 9 pm on Thursday and Friday. It is open from noon to 6 pm on weekends. Admission to the gallery is free. Walk-in tours are provided Thursdays at 6 pm and Sundays at 1 pm.

Gil, by Keith Haring, 1988

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Untitled, by Keith Haring and

Andy Warhol, 1985

Untitled, by Keith Haring, 1981

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