Growing up, there was this girl down the street named Peggy whose pet rabbit ran off to give birth in a hole in the ground. When the pink, hairless babies emerged, Peggy drowned them with a hose because she thought the Earth was erupting with tiny aliens. Once, just for fun, she took the cartridge out of a marker and colored her entire butt blue, and came in and mooned a group of us while we were playing with dolls. Her mom freaked out and spanked her with a wooden spoon.
Peggy’s mom would probably also have a really difficult time with “Painted,” an exhibit Tyson Reeder curated, which consists entirely of objects covered in paint. It’s simple enough, yet why don’t you take a second to think about your feelings of, say, a fancy golden ring dipped in enamel given as a gift. Could you take someone’s word for it being real solid gold? Wouldn’t you wonder what’s really under there? And why the hell did someone ruin it by covering it up? That curiosity and anxiety is like a present you can’t ever open. And that’s the point of this show. It’s open now, and it’s in Milwaukee. Go check it out when you go home to visit your parents for the holidays.
Videos by VICE
“Painted”
December 10 through January 15, 2012
Green Gallery East
1500 N. Farwell, Milwaukee
