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. .