"Yay"
He takes a monkey out of the tree and plops it onto a living room sofa. An open pizza box ages on the coffee table while a video game controller sits close by. The fluorescent glow of the TV screen illuminate the room and you suddenly feel as if this curious animal-turned-couch potato can pull you into its “Wasted Space.” Is this really a monkey or an image of how we are when we are fueled with nothing more than junk food and propaganda? This is but one example of how Los Angeles based artist, Joe Ledbetter's new exhibit, "Fever Dream" plays on the idea of animal vs. human or human vs. animal. See for yourself. You be the judge.
It's as if Lebbetter dreamed of a world where animals ventured outside of their environments and into our homes. Yet one can also argue how it shows human characteristics in animal form similar to how author George Orwell used pigs to symbolize corrupt political figures in his book Animal Farm (1945).
A lion tames a blow dryer in “Shave and A Haircut.” Patches of its golden fur scatters all over the linoleum floor. A pair of scissors lie near its sharp claws with a satisfied grin on its face as if proud for trimming its own mane. Yet, what does this cartoon really show? In my eyes, it depicts how males can be overly-confident about their appearance. And how their cockiness and quick wit can even challenge their own sense of self-worth staring back at their reflection in a mirror.
But it's not only how we act on the outside, but also how we conquer obstacles inside of ourselves that Ledbetter portrays. A turkey traps itself in an ice cube with what looks to be a cigarette box well out of reach in “Cold Turkey." This obviously illustrates the struggles we encounter when trying to quit at something bad for us. Anxiety, withdrawals and the need to be near something even if we can't get to it. In this case, smoking in which one would literally have to have their hands tied just to resist temptation.
Violence spills out onto the acrylic board when mythical creatures declare war in "Brawl." An enormous blue guerrilla strangles a flustered green dragon as its tail whips out in a frenzy to defend itself. This is our temperament in action, a tug of war between good and evil. But which one resembles what and more importantly, who wins? Or do they both lose? It seems each character possesses both sides and its merely a toss up; a lucky draw of who'll get to gloat for glory, but the battle is at a standstill and we are left wondering like we are now in the wars of today.
But not all emotions are evil. In "Under My Wing," you see sadness protected by hope. A flower pot topples over as the dirt that once kept it alive causes it to wilt. Flying skulls lurk overhead as if death awaits just around the corner, but a dragon holds its wing over the sad little goblin and its poor potted plant, protecting it from harms way.
Ledbetter's work is often displayed at the Los Angeles Gallery 1988. Look it up and come on down!
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