There’s more than one way to make “oddkin.” Ecofeminist Donna Haraway coined the term to urge us to make multi-species connections for planetary survival—to see a part of ourselves in an unfamiliar other. The mix of Bay Area-born, -based, and -linked artists in the group exhibition Oddkin at Hashimoto Contemporary expand the term from its interspecies origins, celebrating unusual kinship relations from supernatural animal connections to the joy and heartache of interpersonal love. Together, the eclectic styles, mediums, and narratives in Oddkin show the many forms of relations found and built in the Bay Area and beyond; it is a celebration of the desire to make oddkin.
Fierce lizards and hawks might not be typical pets, but artists Kristen Liu-Wong and Ben Venom embrace these peculiar human-predator connections. Liu-Wong’s painting on wood panel depicts a crazed reptilian-looking woman gorging on noodles as she hand-feeds live mice to her lizards; the bright pinks and saturated blues of Venom’s handmade quilt outline fantastical birds of prey in soft, comforting materials. Serena Viola Corson and Austin Elfio Montanari honor human-animal relationships through the lens of myth and sport. Corson paints a blonde Wiccan clinging to her black billy goat amid the heat of apocalyptic flame; Montanari captures the breaking point between a bull and rider as the demonized animal tosses the slim, anonymous cowboy into the air, nose-diving towards the ground. The bonds between our own species are not forgotten. Annie Duncan’s larger-than-life shaving razors entangle the other in their own private ritual, emphasizing how even our possessions form relationships when we cohabitate. Gina M. Contreras and Chase Irvin reflect on isolation in relationships, depicting themselves contemplating the pain of having taken a chance and the grief of losing that pleasure.
Madison Brooks | Dennis Brown | Anjelica Colliard | Gina M. Contreras | Serena Viola Corson | Matthew Craven | Annie Duncan | James Eddy | Mary Finlayson | Maya Fuji | Mike Funkhouser | Chase Irvin | MARBIE | Christopher Martin | Alan Miknis | Austin Elfio Montanari | Erik Parra | Alexander Rohrig | Leonard Reidelbach | Sofia Shu | Lorien Stern | Ester Tuva | Ben Venom | Corrie Wille | Kristen Liu Wong | Amber Jean Young | curated by Katherine Jemima Hamilton
Oddkin opens on Saturday, May 4th, with a reception from 5-7 pm, and will be on view through May 25th.