That strange noise you can hear thrumming in the distance is the sound of Walt Disney spinning in his grave. Not for the first time, the late cartoonist’s beloved creations have been possessed by a devilish artist hell-bent on giving their message extra impact by juxtaposing controversial themes with the children’s favourites. José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros’s Profanity Pop pays particularly subversive attention to the Catholic religion – packed with tales of good and evil and heavy on the allegorical narrative, just like Walt’s films.
Rodolfo’s tribute to Caravaggio replaces the Italian’s saints with Disney figures; their innocence adds pathos to the scene showing doubting Thomas, now St Donald, poking around in Mickey’s spear wound. Rodolfo is also a voice for reform, depicting homosexual love (and also inter-species love for that matter) through a series of steamy clinches involving a couple of dwarves and Daisy and Minnie among others – the Pope gets progressive by presiding over a same-sex marriage. In other pieces the wholesome characters are transplanted from a world of ideals into a much more real place and time. Snow White has really let herself go, and her rather hopeful enquiry to the mirror as to who is the fairest of them all is made mid-selfie. We find out what really makes Goofy so goofy as he shares a smoke with Donald Duck, and there’s a cameo from Frida Kahlo, sitting in on a boozy get together with the Disney equivalent of the Desperate Housewives. Profanity Pop is being exhibited at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, until 31 August.
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
The Incredulity of Saint Donald (Caravaggio Tribute)
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
The Veil of Clarabella
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
It’s a Girl Thing
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Dreams Come True (Grumpy & Dopey)
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Saint Daisy and Her Pregnancy
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
I’m Not a Sinner I’m Just Drawn That Way
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Cinderella Revenge
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Poor Unfortunate Souls
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
Paloma Negra
José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros
War Dirty
