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BIOGRAPHY
Kathie Olivas and Brandt Elling Peters are both prolific artists and curators. Their work has been included in various exhibitions across the US and Canada.
STATEMENTS
Brandt Elling Peters
" Having grown up on the West Coast most of my life and coming from a family of uber 'antique' collectors and artists, my eclectic upbringing was filled with a wide range of 'Pop' ephemera. Many of those inspirations now show up in my work and stem from the backdrop of my childhood. The subject of my paintings is a world of side-show icons, deviant Animalia, and 'masked' glorified cartoon alter egos. I utilize these icons and character cultures as antithetical counterparts to what we are lead to believe as being innocent and socially acceptable. Although misfits on the surface, a sense of relation is understood, secret from the public - we are all misfits; hiding behind animated personas, odd and beautifully unusual. Who is it that we relate to? The lonely little boy hiding in a bear suite, the evil lustful pool-hall wolf, the sexualized little girl who secretly wants more. The environment and its limited population are meant to conjure these questions, the viewers are confronted with finding their own answers."
Kathie Olivas
"My current body of work, entitled the "Misery Children" series focuses
on the constant social desire to assign "cuteness." This often serves
as a means to make something innocent and more appealing, therefore,
non-threatening. Perhaps this allows us to comfort ourselves. My questions
are based on the discomfort of "what if"-- what if these sweet creatures
had other ideas? What if they knew something we were afraid to open
our eyes to? Would they protect themselves; would they be able to adapt
to a war torn environment and develop their own defense mechanisms?
The characters are meant to evoke a nostalgic reaction that reflects
isolation, fear, and an uncertainty; yet, at the same time they serve
as empowered alter egos. This series is presented as a satirical look
at how fear affects our sense of reality. The characters perform as
narrators in lonely worlds that each explores individually, creating
his or her own perspective, and thus, own reality. As our hosts, the
ensemble provides a sense of comfort, the reminiscent style is soothing,
yet the mood is dark. As children, they evoke a sense of temporality;
childhood serves as a starting ground, a place where things begin. Inspired
by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small
adults in an idealized new land, the characters parallel this vision
within their own sense of post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting
their own stories in a mysterious brave new world."
