Artist Amanda L. Spayd has a gift for turning old objects into new art, a gift which was obvious during the opening of Rivet Gallery’s “The Decadence of Decay” exhibition during Saturday’s Gallery Hop in the Short North.
Rivet Gallery’s latest 3-D toy and art exhibition features the work of both Spayd and artist Cris Rose. Their work is different, yet both artists produce art with an almost-macabre feel to it.
Rivet Gallery owner Laura Kuenzli said she grouped these two artists together intentionally because she felt their work complemented each other nicely.
“I think their styles strangely accent each other,” Kuenzli said. “With Cris, it’s a bit of rustic, futuristic flair, and with Amanda, I’d have to say it’s curious and creepy, but it does still have a charm to it.”
Spayd, whose art consists of monster-like stuffed animals, agreed with Kuenzli’s description of her artwork.
“You know, it’s very beat-up, very strange and frightening, but it’s still soft and delicate in a way,” Spayd said.
Spayd said she finds inspiration in “old things.” She collects antiques to search for new ideas.
“I look to a lot of things, mostly old things,” Spayd said. “Antiques, old folk art and old children’s stories — I like things that seem innocent but are maybe a little bit devilish.”
It was that devilish charm that caught the eye of Megan VanAelst, who saw a flyer for the opening at a hair studio with a picture of one of Spayd’s stuffed creatures.
VanAelst was particularly intrigued by one piece, Spayd’s “Prince of Darkness,” a stuffed goat with a monster’s face sewing himself back together.
“He’s a goat working on himself,” VanAelst said. “He just looks kind of pathetic, like people would be scared of him, but he’s still cute.”
Spayd said she hoped everyone found a deeper meaning in her artwork the way VanAelst did.
“I hope people maybe think about where they could have come from,” Spayd said. “I think it’s about looking at an object and wondering what the back-story is. Was it a real creature that lived somewhere?”
Spayd said she had a particular attachment to “Prince of Darkness,” but her favorite piece was a creature bound by chains with a large padlock at the end. She had named the piece “Now What?” as if to signify the bleakness of the creature’s situation.
“I kind of think the guy with the lock is my favorite,” Spayd said. “He looks extremely worried about the situation he’s in.”
But as she stared at him, she couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of its situation.
“Now that I think about it though, I don’t know what he’s so concerned about,” Spayd said with a laugh. “I mean, it’s not like he has arms, so those chains aren’t preventing him from doing anything.”
While Spayd’s work stood out for many of Saturday’s attendees, for Josh Gardner, the best piece on display was not a stuffed creature, but one of Cris Rose’s metal robot toys.
“‘Dawn’ by Cris Rose looks like such a lonely robot,” Gardner said. “I love it — it’s vast, diverse, not your typical art.”
In fact, “Dawn,” a rusty-looking yellow robot with one eye, stood out even among Rose’s already-unique artwork.
Rose’s portion of the display consisted of metal robots and droids. Each piece was hand-painted. Many pieces featured random figurines, such as toy trains and a statue of Buddha, in spaceships.
Rose’s pieces were interesting because they had a futuristic theme but were painted to look rusty, distressed and old.
Rose lives in London and was unavailable for comment.
Kuenzli said she felt it was exhibitions like “The Decadence of Decay” and art like that of Spayd and Rose that set her gallery apart from the slew of others in the Short North district.
“Ours is different because of the artwork we focus on and its focus on surrealism, like you see in Amanda and Cris’s pieces,” Kuenzli said. “The toys cross over — a lot of artists who create toys also create art.”
Kuenzli’s desire to open a gallery that offered toys as art led her to open Rivet Gallery two-and-a-half years ago.
“I was not seeing a place that offered both the toy and art aesthetic that I like,” Kuenzli said. “We offer retail and a gallery, so it’s two extremes, but I think that’s part of the draw.”
To be sure, the exhibition and the gallery will not attract everyone. Those looking for traditional artwork will not find it at Rivet Gallery.
But Saturday, Rivet Gallery was certainly a draw for those participating in Gallery Hop.
Gallery Hop occurs on the first Saturday of every month in the Short North arts district of Columbus. Stores and restaurants are open later than usual, and the event usually draws thousands of people, according to the Short North Web site.
Kuenzli coordinates the opening of each month’s exhibition with Gallery Hop to draw more people into her store.
The gallery was packed for the opening of this exhibition, with between 10 and 30 people in the relatively small gallery at all times.
Some of those in attendance, Gardner included, come to the gallery often. He and his friends attend Gallery Hop every month, and he said he heard about the event through Rivet Gallery’s Web site.
For some people, such as Tracie Keene, it was their first time setting foot in Rivet Gallery.
“I was just walking by and decided to stop in,” Keene said. “I’ve never been in this gallery before, but I think it’s great. It’s a different take on art.”
No matter how people heard about the event, Kuenzli said she felt the opening was a success.
“There is a definite interest, I think because it’s a unique 3-D experience for most people which they aren’t finding everywhere else,” Kuenzli said.
Rivet Gallery itself is a unique place, with paintings on one wall, shelves of anime-style toys and the exhibition as the focus on the left side of the gallery.
“The Decadence of Decay” will be at Rivet Gallery through March 31.
And at the center of it all, “Prince of Darkness” will continue to sit on his throne, staring at the crowd as he tries to fix himself, his messy sewing a strange reflection of Spayd’s ability to fix something old and turn it into art, his glassy eyes seemingly wise to the curiousness of his decaying appearance.
