Sharks Eat Meat: September 2018

In East Bushwick near Ridgewood, Superchief is inside a large garage style space. Superchief hosts rotating art and music shows, as well as an awesome video game museum. The show ‘Feral Ways’ focused on alternative and emerging artists with a street aesthetic. Kristen Liu-Wong, Kashink, Lauren Ys, and Boykong all presented stunning work.

Kristen Liu-Wong, the edgy star of vaporwave painting, put forth a spectacular display of paintings featuring her usual cast of deadly animals along femme fatale. The super-flat space operas play out as gruesome battles and add excitement to mundane, everyday scenes.

Of all the human animal hybrids out there, Lauren Ys’s bat and butterfly paintings are a strong presentation. These would have been far better illustrations for the Animorph series than what we received. Classically ironic and meme-able as the original cover illustrations may be, the subject of transformation is common throughout history. Lauren’s elaborate illustrative style contributes to the story of the metamorphosis.

Somewhere in between East Asian tattoo designs and Mayan glyphs lies Boykong. The fluorescent works have a meaty weight and bold eloquence. Kashink’s installation and portrait series are delightful. The multi-eyes mask like portraits are unique and creative. The entire show is strong, cohesive, and entirely immersive.  

Visit Superchief and support these artists. As always stay tuned to Sharks_Eat_Meat for all your art and culture needs.

Review by John Aaron Coulter