This is not your grandmother's art show, nor her typical antique shop.
Nestled in the back of the cozy Spiderhouse Market & Antiques is a small, intimate gallery. And within this show space is an art display that pushes all of our buttons, most likely including your grandma's.
"Naked," the new show by local artists, explores the human body in it's natural and rawest form.
Todd Belvin, also known as "Spider," owner of Spiderhouse Market & Antiques, 515 E. Grand River Ave., in Old Town Lansing has always tried to showcase more provocative types of art that get a person thinking. Last year the gallery hosted an erotic art show, but this year Spider decided to work with a slightly modified theme.
"I always try to find words and ideas that are different from the other galleries," Spider said.
This year's theme is simple - naked. Spider invited many local artists to show their work in the exhibit and told them to do whatever they wanted with the "Naked" theme.
"Naked," which runs until the end of March, contains approximately 16 pieces of work, ranging from serious paintings to modern art sculptures of the human body. But not everything in the exhibit is supposed to be taken seriously.
One of the first art pieces patrons see when they walk into the gallery is a dress with a pair of breasts attached to it. Hanging from the nipples are two long strands of pearls. The entire figure is shrouded in black netting.
The piece is entitled "To Tickle Jules' Funny Bone," and artists Julie Vander Galien and Spider worked on the project together.
Spider said Galien brought the breasts in for the exhibit but he did not think the piece was finished. So he attached them to the dress form and covered them with the fabric in the hopes he would make Galien laugh.
"There was absolutely no rhyme or reason. I just wanted to make them fun and amusing," Spider said. "When she came in, she laughed, and that's exactly what I wanted."
Another captivating piece is Tim Lane's "Add to Favorites (Bookmark This)." Mixed media covers canvas in this artwork and creates a blue outlined image of an unclothed, yet muscular, bicep-flexing man. A blotchy, hot pink background draws attention to the piece, but the softness of the macho man keeps people staring. He appears strong and powerful, but the outline suggests a delicate femininity.
On the opposing wall of the gallery are two collages by artist Jane Reiter. The bottom collage features male nude sculptures from many different cultures. Reiter said the piece evolved from some pictures of Michelangelo's "David," and she focuses mostly on collages in her artwork.
"I like the idea of recycling pictures," Reiter said.
On the whole, the art show is an interesting collection that causes the wheels in one's brain to turn. But unfortunately the show isn't very unified. It's difficult to relate some pieces to others, but each piece was done well on its own.
Overall, the most refreshing aspect of the show is that it features nontraditional, different art so close to home.
