Fawn Rogers Everything is Sacred, Nothing is Precious; Everything is Precious, Nothing is Sacred

[ROOM] Project Space

Curated by Michael Slenske

Make Room is thrilled to announce Fawn Rogers’ Everything is sacred, Nothing is Precious; Everything is Precious, Nothing is Sacred at [ROOM], a project space at the gallery. Her exhibition aligns with a mantra of the Dali Lama: In order to lead a meaningful life, you need to cherish others, pay attention to human values, and try to cultivate inner peace.” Yet, as a civilization, we are seemingly still waiting for an era of harmony and enlightenment to arrive. Rogers captures this essence by taking the viewer on an adventure —from copulating insects to humans at their most vulnerable and thirsty. As meditative as they are exploitative, the works in the show allow the viewer to voyeuristically peek through the blinds for an intimate look at oneself.

The paintings ultimately represent a decadent display of pulp humor through sexually charged imagery and elements of the natural world. Intermingled with climactic moments, the works on display creates an end-of-the-world party in the space of a white box gallery surrounding a grassy field, atop of which is a berm with a fur-covered chess board. While playing with this R.I.P. Chess set, conquering an opponent’s pieces—cast bronze chessmen modeled after recently extinct animals—we as visitors are watched by paintings of glaring endangered birds. Are they judging us?

Other paintings depict breasts, trees growing through discarded cars, and celebratory cakes featuring messages such as “DILF” or “congrats on kicking opioids.” Snarling lips with grillz, an erotic dancer next to a portrait of the Dali Lama and a Chernobyl flower, monkeys smoking cigarettes, and a sign that says “Infinity 99 cents” abound. Images are collaged together to form faces: part human, part animal, part ashtray. Mixed into the display throughout the 100 paintings are Reality Bubble Pearls, reminding us we can pop our bubbles of reality and stand in another’s to find some empathy. We can reflect on how, like the Dali Lama observes, the present holds no successor. Or, maybe, we can just knock our enemies to the ground on a chessboard made of fur, seated atop a grassy knoll, riding out the present era until realizing our own ass is grass.