Coming in with a late but very strong entry for the WTF? Moment of the Week is Eric Yahnker and his Ebony and Benghazi series of paintings, drawings and sculptures. It will be a while before I can watch the Christopher Reeve Superman films again without any feelings of unease, that’s for sure.
Yahnker is having a laugh, and if that’s all you take from his work, all well and good. Of course there is immediate comedic value to many of his images, but for those willing to stretch their interpretations a bit, a subtext is there to be pondered. In the title piece, Stevie Wonder and Hilary Clinton are presented side-by-side in humorously similar poses, pitting fears of the two-term Obama presidency with the future possibility of a two-term stint for Clinton. Other icons of Red and Blue get the treatment reflecting the Californian artist’s wish to highlight the absurdity of the American political system, and if you want to join the debate or just enjoy the visual daftness, Ambach & Rice in Los Angeles is the place to go until 12 October.
Billrise, 2013,
colored pencil on paper,
15 x 20 in.
Eric Yahnker,
Ebony & Benghazi
Installation view
Ebony & Benghazi, 2013,
framed 45rpm cover and inkjet photo,
8.25 x 16.5 in. (diptych)
Woolly Woman, 2013,
colored pencil on paper,
14 x 17 in.
Eric Yahnker,
Ebony & Benghazi
Installation view
Freedom From Fear (Lead Me), 2013,
colored pencil on paper,
60 x 46.5 in.
Kings of the World, 2013,
colored pencil and pastel on paper,
60 x 106 in.
Da Smiffs, 2013,
colored pencil on paper,
24 x 24 in.
Eric Yahnker,
Ebony & Benghazi
Installation view
