Marcy Miranda Janes at Wee Gallery (Dec 2012)

In the back of a vintage clothing shop, in the cluster of galleries at the intersection of 6th Ave and 6th Street, is the "Wee Gallery". The logo for the gallery is picture of a cherub urinating, in the manner of those public fountains in Europe.  I visited this gallery on the day of their opening; I was early; the labels hadn't even been put up yet.  Still, I'm here to give you a report on what I saw....

The exhibit is composed of 15 artworks: 1 is large, 7 are medium size, and 7 are small. They all are similar in that they all have what look like antique (or antiqued) gold colored frames, but each frame is different. They all look good together as a set, but if you look, you'll notice that each frame is unique.

Marcy Miranda Janes' work are intricate and delicate images made of cut paper. These black and white pictures use black and white paper (instead of paint or ink).  I don't know the titles of the images (since they weren't mounted when I'd arrived), so I'll have to rely on my own descriptions. 

I can describe the images here, and comment on the symbolism, the the real star of this show is the craftsmanship. All of these symbols are very harsh and depressing, but the delicacy and intricacy of the cut paper work softens the effect, making it info something more akin to lace.  (Was this work made using a light table?) Even if you don't know the meaning of the symbols of these pieces, or why they're arranged in the manner that they are, you can at least marvel at the craftsmanship: it's impressive.

The biggest piece is on the back wall of the gallery. I'd guess that its' about 6 feet wide (I'm just estimating)  In this image about, we see images of darkness: a raven (or is it a crow?), skeletons (both adult and child), moths, hand grenades (which look like ears of corn), and parrots.  When I squint, I see what looks like an angry Mickey Mouse (just the face, not the ears, or mouth) If it's not Mickey Mouse, then at least it looks like some sort of face.

The frames of a lot of the work looks like it came from other sources (I could be wrong). This cut paper flying fish is framed in a bronze-like circular frame with maple leaves (??) flying off at multiple angles.  This piece reminds of a combination of old antiques.

Here we have three flying fish and (what looks like) an airplane.

This piece, framed in a unique frame, we have an image that looks like a brain.... but on closer examination, we see that there are actually bees, honeycomb, and a thistle-like plant made of carefully of cut paper.

 

The Wee Gallery is a small place. In the above photo, we see three pieces on its back wall.  The piece in the center (described in the first paragraph of this article) is in the center of this photo.

The work is ambitious, and the content is dark and maudlin. A sense beauty and foreboding prevails.
I find that the artwork is unique and interesting; not like anything else I'm used to seeing.  It reminds me a relief block printing, although instead using knives to carve into a wooden block, the artist makes cuts directly into paper. It's great to see an artist work in a new (to me) and challenging way!