THE HUMANITY OF MONSTERS
When Domy Books left Houston in 2013, several great annual showcases went with them, including their annual Monster Show art exhibit. It was a haven for local artists who specialize in the bizarre and terrifying. Luckily, Insomnia Gallery has been carrying that torch and continued the tradition of the seasonal show, which is a nice reminder of how monsters can represent what is good and heroic within us.
Over 20 Texas visual artists, most of them from Houston, will be part of the showing this year. There will be plenty of traditional dark offerings and pop-culture ghouls, but if there’s anything in the show that truly makes it stand out it’s the ways these artists have used the bestial and macabre to say something positive.
Octoboros is a prime example. That’s the tattoo artist handle of Dana Graham, who also goes by the name ParenthesisX. As one of the city’s premier spooky-content creators it’s easy to see why she’d be drawn to the exhibit. Her contribution to this year’s show will be a kraken — the legendary giant octopod of Greek mythology — consuming itself. It’s sounds disturbing, and it is, but Graham sees it as a much more hopeful image.
“I have always been drawn to the serpent, specifically the ouroboros, the creature that consumed itself for survival,” says Graham. “When an octopus loses a tentacle, it always grows back. I think the idea of an octopus consuming itself, with the confidence of knowing it will survive, is brave and beautiful. Something I feel I can relate to.”
Snappy Stettner brings a more global and environmental aspect to Monster Show. Though he specializes in skateboards and band posters, the thing he likes best is kaiju, the giant monsters seen in “Godzilla” or “Pacific Rim” films. His art comes from his frustration with how humanity has handled climate change. Stettner envisions his monsters as avenging angels to the harm we’ve done to the planet.
“In my imagination, they’ve come into existence, or out of slumber, to be sort of the planet’s antibodies, or to at least be a warning for us to cool it,” Stettner says of his kaiju.
Tam Minh Nguyen’s art is more personal in nature. She’s bringing a variety of works, some dark and some playful. One of her monsters is a cat, which she jokes brings the horrid curses of bad luck and allergies. Setting aside the light, though, she tackles depression through the visage of fiends. A portion of the proceeds of the pins she sells goes to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
“My previous depictions had resonated so heavily with strangers that I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to connect with a wider audience,” Nguyen says.
Monster Show also has a nice selection of Frankensteins, Michael Myers and other pop-culture icons for the more traditional monster-art buyer. Behind it all is a chance to stare horrors in the eye and see what these creations say about ourselves.
“I love conceptual art and I love seeing what others consider to be monsters,” says Graham. “When I think ‘monster,’ I always think human.”