Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2017)
photos E>y Ahmed Almarai photo by Victoria Tinker “ It is hard to be an outsider or different, and those who are, are often made to feel they should conform more to the situation they find themselves in.” - Rebecca Hubbs Left: Odd Rebecca has been informally creating dolls since age four. Middle: Hubbs work is heavily influenced by the Victorian and early Edwardian eras. Right: Nora Brodnicki’s cermaics class visited the exhibit in the Alexander Gallery April 18. PETITE PECULIARITIES THE ALEXANDER GALLERY’S NEWEST EXHIBIT SHOWCASES HIGH-QUALITY DOLLS WITH STRANGE, EERIE BEAUTY BY NICHOLAS ALLISON The strange, the eccentric and the outsider. These three come together into a singularly unique collection in an otherwise norm al gallery. “ Petite P ecu liarities” is an art show that opened recently in the Alexander Gallery and is displaying high- quality dolls appealing to the horrors of classical tales. The artist who crafted this memorable collection, Odd Rebecca, has been creating dolls inform ally since she was just 4 years old, and this collection includes her favorite pieces from the past five years. , The show features eight strange and exotic dolls, from arachnid women to werewolf m en, from the strange to the exotic; the only ties that connect them all are their humanoid shapes and how abnormal those shapes are. According to Kate Sim m ons, gallery director at CCC, the show is about “ confronting ideas o f differences.” “ T h ere’ s kin d ’o f these p ersonal ch aracteristics we m ight be able to be fam iliar w ith in a w ay,” said Sim m ons. “ There’ s ideas o f beauty she’ s addressing, and ad o rn m en ti*^ . 8 Clackamas Print APRIL.19,2017 theGiaclramasp.rint.com Further, Rebecca Hubbs, the artist of the gallery said, “ Som ething I th in k a lot about is the concept o f the ‘ other,” the outsider or the eccentric. Someone who possesses traits that separate that individual from others around them in a given context — whether that be in appearance, demeanor, place of origin, etc. It is hard to be an outsider or different, and those who are, are often made to feel they should conform more to the situation they find themselves in , mostly to make those around them feel more com fortable. Personally, I prefer the ones who brush aside this conform ity.” Her dolls reflect this, whether a woman in a dress with squid tentacles em erging from under it, called “ The Kraken’ s daughter,” or a woman with two arachnid legs, and a dress that reveals itself to be hiding a mouth in plain sight, known as “ Arachnia.” Still, others play with them es o f horror and eccentricity hidden in a strange, eerie beauty. Truly, it screams of the uncanny valley, almost hum an but not quite, and all the stranger for it. Hubbs was inspired by a number of sources, saying, “ I am fascinated by the styling o f the Victorian and early Edwardian eras. These styles gave the bodies really unique lines and silhouettes, as well as providing ample opportunity for embellishment. I am also playing a little bit o ff of the idea o f a classic porcelain doll; the ones in frilly dresses that everyone’ s grandmother, at least in the Western world, seems to have,” Kelila Henkin, another artist exhibiting at CCC, said in reference to the show, “ Very obscure. It’s definitely strange to see all these walls bare, except for the baby d o ll.” The way the show is set up is very strange, with bare walls and all the art gathered in the center of the gallery, it creates a unique feel, compared to other shows in the gallery over the years. Hubbs clearly makes the space her own. Altogether, “ Petite Peculiarities” combines horror, dolls and forgotten item s into a strange, distracting collection of ideas that makes you feel like an outsider when you examine it. The show will be on exhibit in the Niemhyer Center through April 28. .
