Laguna Art Museum's Allison Schulnik Show is Beautifully Unpretty

OC Weekly art writer Dave Barton has a major love-hate thing going on with the two major shows currently running at Laguna Art Museum. On one hand, he pretty much despises everything about the George Hurrell show, branding it "whitewashed escapism," "airbrushed tomfoolery" and "sepia-toned Hollywood horse ..." (You can probably figure out how that last phrase ends.)

Clearly, Hurrell makes Barton hurl. Stacy Davies, the Weekly's other art writer (and host of "The Hollywood Happening" on Laguna Beach's fine radio station KX 93.5), loved Hurrell, though, and apparently so have a lot of other people -- the show has been extended through May 19. Escapism and tomfoolery win!

But where does Barton's love come into play? That would be with the museum's Allison Schulnik exhibition. The Los Angeles artist's surreal paintings, sculptures, and clay animations won Barton over big, and his richly-detailed review makes you want to hurry and catch it before it closes April 28:

In a recorded interview accompanying the show, Schulnik says she considers the title subject in her painting Boneless Horse a hero in the vein of Eeyore or The Velveteen Rabbit. Isolated by a dense black background, the desiccated flesh, yellow teeth, lolling tongue and black pits for eyes elicit sympathy for the poor beast, but it isn't "heroic" that comes to mind. "Glue factory" seems more appropriate. Likewise, the patchwork face of the Bolger character in Big Scare-Bo Head isn't comforting or warm: the bone structure of the face is constantly shifting, corruptible, the skin full of boils and pustules ready to burst open and spray the viewer.

OK, well, maybe kind of gross, but still! Read Barton's full review by clicking here.

"ex pose: allison schulnik" at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-8971; www.lagunaartmuseum.org. Through April 28. Open Mon.-Tues. & Fri.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. $5-$7. Children under 12 free.