I just got home from checking out Ria Brodell's show The Handsome & The Holy at Judi Rotenberg. The new work is a bit of a departure from Ria's fantastical, mythical beings and lands, but the transition is seamless. The Handsome & The Holy is Ria's exploration into icons that loomed large for her as a child. It's way better in her words:
"I grew up watching musicals and old black and
white movies with my grandma. I went to Catholic school (picture plaid
skirts and itchy tights). Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, “Curly McLain” from “Oklahoma!”
were handsome men with perfect hair and perfect features. I wanted to
dress like them, dance like them and look like them. I played with G.I.
Joe and He-Man. My aunt told me stories about the saints. Catholicism
was a significant part of my childhood. I collected holy cards. I
collected baseball cards. I only ever wanted one ‘Barbie’ doll, and it
was Ken.
If I was to honor the lives of the saints, how could I possibly aspire
to be the handsome man who always gets the girl? This series drawings
intermixes how the different figures I’ve identified with or admired,
co-exist in my mind, and how I see myself in them."
