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For example, Ellen Gallagher’s large painting Bubbel, 2001, a mass of tiny blue forms and scrawled marks amidst a sea of faint lines, entrances the viewer with its oceanic rhythms. In one sense, this piece is simply playful. However, Gallagher’s work is informed by diverse historical and literary references. A number of different ideas about race and origin myths collide in her most recent group of works. Gallagher’s signature use of disembodied lips and eyes reference minstrel shows, which included black face performers portraying a stereotypical, derogatory representation of African-Americans. Her recent reading of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick addresses concerns about heroism and the creative urges gone awry. The adolescent coming-of-age book, Blubber by Judy Blume (and the name of Gallagher’s most recent exhibition) considers another form of exclusion. All elements work to give the informed viewer a chance to think critically about the way stereotypes are created, perpetuated, co-opted, subverted, and continually realigned.
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