In the Balance at the MIA

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, in collaboration with the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, is currently presenting the provocative show In the Balance. According the the MIA website, “The MAEP is an artist-controlled exhibition program ... This curatorial department [of the MIA] is a true study in democracy—its exhibitions are selected by a panel of artists who are elected by and from their peers at an annual meeting of the artist community …” In the Balance features painter Margo Selski and sculptor Davora M. Linder.

Selski’s work explores femininity, motherhood, mythology, fragility and much more. There is a Renaissance feel to the paintings, with intentional cracks in the paint that give the pictures an old and fragile feel. The colors are saturated and regal, with blood reds and electric blues dominating the palette. While this aesthetic sensibility is essential to the spirit of the work, the emphasis on symbolism and the feminine mystique provides the depth. Perhaps the images, relentless in their telling of an ageless story, are the most compelling feature of Selski’s work.

Sirens, fauna and flora, and fairy tale-like characters are just a few of the pleasingly accessible, but eternally intriguing symbols.

In the painting “The Royal Induction,” a pale, haunted woman encased in a Faberge egg, save for one exposed breast, loosely holds a Renaissance-collared infant bedecked with chick fluff and talons. In turn, the child commands an upside-down marionette, a thimble-sized egg suspended above his head. The marionette is Little Red Riding Hood, but her feet are disturbingly those of the Big Bad Wolf.

Poised behind the marionette, three ghosts of Red Riding Hood dance toward the commanding woman. Breathtaking in its evocative beauty and striking in its emotive quality, the painting sends the viewer on a journey through the soul of a woman confronted with motherhood, sensuality and the intensity of life itself.

Sculptor Davora M. Linder also explores the burdens and qualities of the female experience. “I view all my work as a form of self-portraiture … created from a corrective impulse to style and present.” Indeed, Linder’s dolls all seem to be part of one family—a family brought to life by the artist’s haunting vision. The dolls are disturbingly thin, their hair nappy and their makeup gaudy, with uncontainable, grotesque fat plaguing their small bodies. Despite or because of all this, they are magnetic.

The inspiration for the doll “Barbara Stanwyck” came from a “Ball of Fire” poster in the eighties. The artist viewed Stanwyck as aggressive but hyper-feminine, sensual but flashy. Thus, her chest is adorned with tattoos of both vicious tigers and feminine flowers. She stands with a forward pose, her gender put in question by the penis exposed on the bare doll. Linder plays with gender with such intensity that the viewer suspends reality, believing it is truly possible to be both man and woman, or perhaps neither.

The combination of these artists is a feast for the eyes. Walking into the gallery is analogous to the absorption one feels when a movie begins with a striking opening frame; one is immediately enraptured and willing to go on whatever ride the artist has in store. ||

In the Balance is on display through Sept. 4 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls., 612-870-3131. Hours are: Tue.–Wed. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thu. 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri & Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Mondays.