PSA July 10th Opening - Review by Gallery Assistant Jamie Harker

The Phyllis Stein Art Gallery’s grand opening on July 10, 2008 displayed the work of two innovative young artists, Jesse Chapolito and Eric Smail. The colorful paintings, installations, and sculptures created by Chapolito and Smail bring a pulsing vibrancy to the gallery, resulting in an effect of organized chaos.

Chapolito’s work has the ability to evoke many messages at once with varying degrees of subtlety. Upon first inspection, Chapolito appears to be influenced by various cultural forms of expression. The brightly colored skulls that frequent multiple paintings draw from traditional Mexican art of Dia de los Muertos. The totem pole in the middle of the room plays on traditional northwest Native American worship of totem objects in order to make a commentary on what Americans consider sacred today. Many of Chapolito’s figures evoke Japanese anime figures. This is particularly clear in Untitled #3, where the painting could be from Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away.

Despite these influences, there is a unique quality to his work. Chapolito’s art is clearly an observation of American society and politics, however it is refreshing in its lack of self importance. For instance, his painting America Get Your Guns, in which rainbows of paint spill forth from cartoonish weapons provides a colorful interpretation of the general public’s inclination to stylize violence in such a way as to make it attractive and unrealistic. The figures in all of his work are monstrous yet humorous, allowing Chapolito to deal with the habits and customs of Americans in a satirical way. The use of acrylic paint on wood as the medium allows for a rapidity of expression, and the natural pattern of the wood grain enhances the organized chaos that characterizes the composition of his paintings.

Religion, violence, and money are all central themes that emerge in his work, however one is not inclined to be offended by the frank mockery that occurs in his work. His playful handling of these subjects in combination with his punch-bright paints and simple figures allows his art an honesty and originality that captures the feeling of the 21st century.



- Jaime Harker