Almost all of us are guilty of gluttony, lust or greed. But is this necessarily bad? Texas-born artist Anthony Sonnenberg, who now hails from Seattle, addresses these questions in his exhibit “With Wild Abandon,” now at Lawndale Art Center. “My work really comes down to the idea of how we indulge,” explains Sonnenberg, who incorporates taxidermy, ceramics, porcelain, textiles, tchotchkes, photography and self-portraits in his work. “Indulgence is something that we enter upon by choice. [We ask ourselves], ‘What thing can I have that will make me happy?’
“It’s a bit of a paradoxical thing,” continues Sonnenberg. “On the one hand, giving in to pleasure makes life worth living. On the other hand…do we hasten our demise?” Like Icarus with his doomed winged flight, “Was that one moment of freedom worth it? It’s a question that we all have to ask. What is the answer? I still haven’t figured that out,” Sonnenberg says.
Neither advertisement nor condemnation, Sonnenberg’s Crown for Silenus is an over-the-top gaudy headpiece made of brass sheeting and piping, red coral and silver solder. “It visually grabs you,” he says. “The crown itself is like a mermaid made of all the most popular intoxicants. Marijuana plants, cocaine plants, tobacco plants and mushrooms around the crown.”
There’s an opening reception with the artist at 6 p.m. March 13. Regular viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 12 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Through April 18. Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main. For information, call 713-528-5858 or visit lawndaleartcenter.org. Free.
Saturdays, 12-5 p.m.; Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: March 13. Continues through April 18, 2015
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2015.
