On display at Orange Coast College’s Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion until Nov. 30, "Seriously? Art & Humor for Challenging Times" is an intriguing multi-media exhibition featuring nine artists from Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Through their creative use of satire, parody, and irony, these artists compellingly address the grave social, cultural, and environmental challenges that we currently confront.
Participating artists include Margaret Adachi, Lalo Alcaraz, Michelle Andrade, Mark Steven Greenfield, Beth Grossman, Sandra Low, Manny Orozco, Naida Osline, and Elyse Pignolet.
"Seriously? Art and Humor for Challenging Times” is curated for The Doyle by artists Suvan Geer, Maryrose C. Mendoza, and Sandra Mueller. “The exhibition presents a captivating exploration of difficult topics, skillfully employing humor as both a tool and a weapon. This engaging showcase utilizes comedy to satirize and unveil truth and as a unique approach to confronting demanding realities,” said the exhibition curators Geer, Mendoza, and Mueller.
“Seriously? Art & Humor for Challenging Times” features nine talented artists who expertly balance moments of epiphany with doses of humor. By leveraging satire, parody, and irony, they shed light on grave social, cultural, and environmental challenges we confront today. With their materials and subject matter, they tactfully probe sensitive aspects of our history, culture, psyche, and daily life. Their work culminates in a visual language that seamlessly blends humor with pathos, offering a wry smile in response to our disconcerting times.
Margaret Adachi's hand-sewn cow sculptures offer a delightful critique of corporate exploitation and the monotony of assembly line work.
A renowned cartoonist, Lalo Alcaraz strikes back against rising national intolerance through his witty "La Cucaracha" strips.
Addressing mental health and social anxiety, Michelle Andrade uses her vividly colored drawings and self-help books to create a playful yet poignant dialogue.
Through his "Animalicious" cartoon video and prints, Mark Steven Greenfield challenges historical racial stereotypes and bias in typical humor, overturning old narratives.
Beth Grossman, a socio-political artist, humorously proposes plastic gyres in the world's oceans as new marketing opportunities in her video parody of wealth investment.
In her distinctive paintings, Sandra Low encapsulates signs of extravagant wealth with a tasteless layer of runny Velveeta cheese.
Manny Orozco's concise animated GIFs infuse action and visual humor into severe subjects like climate change, surveillance, and investment anxiety.
Naida Osline, in her "Tell US A Joke" video, conducts an open-ended exploration of what Americans find amusing during these trying times.
Elyse Pignolet's elegant hand-painted tableware and tiles installation reveals a domestic landscape teeming with verbal female abasement.
Concurrent exhibitions at The Doyle in Fall 2023 include “Julia Bui: The Couch Surfing Paintings,” open until Nov. 30.
Admission is free for all exhibitions. Gallery hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and First Saturdays (Oct. 7 & Nov. 4), 12-4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Fridays and school holidays. The Doyle is located next to OCC’s Parking Lot D, off Merrimac Way, Building 180, between Starbucks and the Art Center classrooms. For additional information, call (714) 432-5738 or visit The Doyle website.