The Halloween Art Show, A Frightful Experience
In America, Halloween is seen as a day of mischief, fright, and fun. Children, teens, and adults alike take part in this scary tradition on October 31. We all have an urge to behave badly whether it be pulling silly pranks or dressing more provocatively than usual because we are free from ourselves under the guise of a costume. We are allowed to be someone else for a day, a welcome relief from our everyday lives. Most of all we associate Halloween with terror and fright (not to mention candy). The MF Gallery’s Fiftth Annual Halloween Art show on the Lowest East Side was an attempt to articulate the essence of Halloween through art. My visit to the Halloween Art Show was the quintessential Halloween experience: full of terror, and fun (unfortunately minus the candy).
The artworks were gory and frightening creations of the artists’ imagination meant to make the viewer shudder in fear. Several of the artworks were drawings or framed prints of ghouls and monsters with grim facial expressions only found in the worst nightmares. Georgio Santucci’s acrylic on canvas board titled “Mike Myers” was particularly scary which featured a man with a grim expression and dark black eyes wielding a large kitchen knife. Mark Riddick’s framed print titled “Unholy Union” had skeletal figures carrying the cross in ragged priestess garb. The artist Porkchop whose acrylic on canvas titled “Peer Pressure” was a twisted and hellish view on peer pressure. In the work, a pale and rather gaunt looking young lady is picking an apple from a cauldron filled with a dark murky liquid using her mouth. In the background there’s Satan, a skeleton in a suit, and a young lady laughing sadistically. As one can see, the works depicted served to instill a sick and uneasy feeling into the viewer.
The décor and music of the Halloween Art Show created a dark and chilling atmosphere which enhanced the creepiness of the show. The first thing that I noticed when I stepped in the museum was the loud heavy metal music. The music was full of screaming and was so loud that the sounds made the floors vibrate. In addition, the furniture and the walls had an eerie haunted feeling to them. These elements were meant to create a dark mood for the Halloween artworks. The venue for displaying the artwork was just as important as the artwork itself in creating a Halloween experience. Halloween would not have been Halloween without creepy music and a creepy setting. After all, it would not have made sense to play some jolly music in such an exhibit. The surroundings, in combination with the artworks, created a Halloween feel.
Is there any point to the Halloween Art Show besides to entertain and frighten people? I think the main point was to entertain and frighten but the artworks probably had some other minor points or messages. However, I don’t think these points can be figured out without the help of the artist. So in conclusion, I would strongly recommend those who want a good Halloween scare, and nothing more, to go to the Halloween Art Show in the Lower East Side (and bring your own candy if you like).
