ERIC PACELLA/THE LANTERN
Wayne Martin Belger’s installation, titled “Yama”, is on display at Rivet through February 28.
Artist Wayne Martin Belger thought a skull would serve best as a camera. After decorating it with gems, he installed a stereoscopic camera to show the world through a 500-year-old Tibetan.
Part practical machine, part historical symbol and 100 percent strange, this “life-giving” camera named “Yama” is one of the many machinations that Belger will present at Rivet Gallery during the closing reception for the exhibition “Darkness into Light.”
Photo Illustration.
Rivet Gallery is a designer toy and art gallery at 1200 N. High St. that specializes in what co-owner Scott Kuenzli calls pop surrealism, low brow and underground art.
“Most of our featured artists do not like being referred to as underground,” Kuenzli said. “It has been difficult to get them all together under one roof because they have been so busy serving their particular niches.”
The entire eight-foot wall on the right side of the gallery is a shrine to Japanese anime and manga-inspired toys, all with a unique Western bent. Just by looking at the cartoon nurse in the neon green outfit, wielding a chainsaw and splattered in bright red blood, it is clear this is no ordinary toy store.
“The art is amazing,” Kuenzli said. “Yet in a creepy kind of way.” In the corner behind him lurks an iridescent purple bust of Vietnamese icon Ho Chi Minh, with purple Kalashnikov and all. His name is engraved below in Coca Cola characters. Next to him stands an astronaut Jesus ready to blast off in his angelic blue spacesuit.
Rivet Gallery was named “Best Adult Toy Store- Not That Kind!” in 2008 by Columbus Alive! Prices for toys range from $30 to a few thousand dollars. Art pieces sell from $50 to $60,000. Belger’s “Yama” costs more than $8,000. It seems quite obvious that there is a discerning crowd that collects this type of “low-brow” art.
The entire left hand wall of Rivet is a museum of sorts, dedicated to the occult and bizarre. Past photography exhibitions have included a gas mask-themed exhibition called “Noxious Fumes.”
The centerpiece of the current exhibition is Belger’s “Yama,” but the exhibition also features counter-culture photography by Jeffery Scott, John Santerineross, Chas Ray Krider and Robyn Von Swank.
Chas Ray Krider, Kuenzli said, was once a photographer for Playboy and Hustler. A table in the center of the gallery carries copies of his most recent books, “Motel Fetish” and “Do Not Disturb.” Each book sells for more than $100.
Like something from a “Saw” movie or a Trent Reznor music video, Belger’s machines are just as beautiful as they are bizarre. Belger remembers that when he attended Latin mass as a child, he mostly related to the religious iconography he saw, even though he understood little about it. This served as inspiration for his eccentric machines.
Belger purchased the skull from a merchant in Hong Kong many years ago and has since encrusted it with precious metals and stones. A camera has been inserted into each eye, and when viewed through the stereoscope mounted on the back of the skull, what “Yama” once saw can now be pictured in 3-D.
“Just imagine the look on the faces of airport security agents when Belger attempts to board one of his cameras on a flight,” Kuenzli said. “For that reason Belger usually tries to get to the airport really early.”
Another camera that Belger will present is called “Untouchable.” It features a machine that pumps HIV-positive blood throughout it. The constant pumping motion creates a red tinge behind the pinholes as the picture is taken. This camera is a dedication to a friend of Belger who contracted the disease many years ago. Belger uses this camera to photograph HIV-positive patients only.
Another camera by the name of “Sons of Abraham” is a commemoration of the events that transpired on Sept. 11. The piece incorporates a portion of a support beam from the World Trade Center. Belger uses this camera to take pictures of all sorts of holy people, holding holy books, standing in front of holy buildings. Yet another camera that Belger will exhibit is a working shrine to the Santeria goddess of the sea, Yemaya.
All cameras will be exhibited during the closing reception of the “Darkness into Light” exhibition, Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Belger will be present at the closing reception.
Maurice Arisso can be reached at [email protected].
