The Ambiguous Identity: Danica Phelps at the Kathryn Brennan Gallery

If you plan on visiting Downtown Los Angeles anytime soon, take note. While Chinatown and the art galleries make for an exciting food and culture combo, the pleasures from the Asian baked goods are much more reliable than the postmodern art scene. After the presentation of recently inspired shows at the Solway Gallery and Sam Lee Gallery, any artistically inclined individual would be eager to re-adventure downtown. However, progressive postmodernism art does not currently reside at the Kathryn Brennan Gallery presenting Danica Phelps pieces. This Chinatown gallery recently sparked attraction after its review in the LA Times on November 6th. Deemed a work that “manages to tie it to a larger sense of life’s transience” the vagueness of this description reflects the ambiguous nature of Ms. Phelps works. Exploring the notion of motherhood, Danica Phelps attempts to demonstrate the rapidity of pregnancy and “growing up.” Yet, while tackling a heated topic for the modern woman, the role of motherhood, this artist presents little social, political, or cultural context in her creative exploration of the female identity. When appropriating a hodgepodge of postmodern techniques such as the commodity form, usage of text, and other alternative materials, the message of Danica Phelps’s artwork is not provoking, suggestive, or constructive for the viewer.

Ms. Phelps’ various artistic mediums represent the changes and transformations associated with pregnancy. Video art is utilized to show the ever-expanding belly of the artist while pregnant, who shoots herself naked at different stages of her own pregnancy. In her review of this show, the LA Times journalist Sharon Mizota described this usage of video as a representation of a “temporal and spatial transition.” This interpretation of Phelps is fitting. Time, space, and Ms. Phelps herself are depicted in a mode of bodily change. However, most visitors to the Kathryn Brennan Gallery are aware of the physical effects of procreation. The literal representations of this process, from the duration to the physical transformation, are not demystifying or intriguing. Rather, without reference to the emotional, cultural, or social implications of this transformative process, the viewer is compelled to question the necessity of viewing the artists nude and pregnant.

     

The usage of text and dead flowers in other elements of Danica Phelps work are also puzzling. On the wall of the Kathryn Brennan Gallery, Phelps spells “Drawings About the Present Quickly Become Works About the Past.” Once again, this text demonstrates the usage of postmodern artistic materials, this time text, but not the application of a critical artistic lens. As Phelps communicates her awareness of the speed in which life’s pivotal movements transpire, she offers the viewer little suggestion as to meaning behind this temporal reality. What was Phelps feeling emotionally or physically while pregnant? The visitor does not know. Just as Sharon Mizota points out, the gallery guest is aware of “the passage of time.” Little else is addressed.

     

The incorporation of dying flowers also reinforces the ambiguous nature of Danica Phelps perspective on motherhood, pregnancy, and femininity. Referred to as “a little clichéd,” by the LA Times, these flowers are both unimaginative and paradoxical. Situated in Phelps textual representations, these flowers contradict the artist’s own subject matter. All other references in the show allude to the positive experiences of reproduction. Phelps lovingly portrays her interactions with her son in pencil drawings scattered across the gallery. These optimistic renderings of motherhood contradict the drab, dying flowers in this show. The guest is once again forced question the artists intentions. Are these flowers representing decay and degeneration? Clearly, the complexity of motherhood is alluded to in Danica Phelps works, but never addressed explicitly or creatively.

     

The importance of a critical analysis in postmodern art is subjective. One viewer may strive to see aesthetically pleasing art, searching for beauty and intrigue. Others may value critically engaging works, craving social relevance and broader meaning. In Danica Phelps’ exploration of motherhood and pregnancy, she achieves neither artistic goal. Presenting the viewer with overused artistic mediums such as video art, decaying flowers, and textual representations, her art is not intrinsically pleasant to view. Unfortunately, this art is also not critically or socially contextualized. The female form has been a heavily broached topic for artists since the 1970’s. Whether an overtly feminists perspective such as Lynda Benglis’ pseudo advertisement, or a subtle female reinterpretation of male artistic traditions such as Hadley Holliday’s paintings, the role of the female perspective has been continually explored and questioned through different aesthetical means. One can hope that the modern female artist is not obligated to create art solely through a feminist perspective. However, when confronting controversial issues specific to the female identity, ambiguity is not a constructive artistic technique. Thus, if you are planning on visiting the Kathryn Brennan Gallery soon, head to the Phoenix Bakery first. The physical satisfaction from these tasty treats will make the perplexing nature of Danica Phelps works much easier to swallow.