Tech company moguls portrayed as orangutans; penises shaped like snakes and drill bits; the disembodied head of Thomas Jefferson situated under the foot of a contemporary Black woman; a Native American man emerging from a tree stump, real bark climbing up his leg — the latest show from 83-year-old artist Mabry Turner seemingly has everything.
Housed at Dreamland Ballroom until May 23, the exhibition will be viewable from 5-8:30 p.m. every Thursday through Saturday, starting with a soft opening tonight and a reception tomorrow.
“Truth: The Most Endangered Species” by Mabry Turner Credit: Brion Chilson
A Mississippi native who moved to Little Rock in the ’60s, Turner specializes in unique portraits done on wood and occasionally canvas — some based on real people, others of invented characters — that range from a bit weird to very surreal. The constant uniting most of her work is an interest in “social commentary,” she told the Arkansas Times.
“I don’t paint for pretty; I paint what’s topical,” she said. “And I don’t discriminate — I paint men, women, children, Black, white, Indian, Asian.”
The preoccupations behind Turner’s work are also quite varied.
Mabry Turner and “American Made: Greed, Lust & Lost Love” Credit: Brian Chilson
One sculpture, a top winner from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art’s 2019 “Delta” exhibition, superimposes objects and bits of pop culture on top of a man’s body, each item increasingly more hedonistic as the eye moves downward. It explores the way stereotypically masculine pursuits can spoil a person’s character over time.
“I used to date that guy. He was a real snake,” Turner said. “So in North Mississippi, little boys are [made of] snakes and snails and puppy dog tails — that’s the childhood rhyme. As he gets older, his interests change from [all of that] to a Vesper martini and a playboy thing and a flavored condom and his Corvette. He’s really a louse.”
Another sculpture, which depicts a Nigerian boy surrounded by sports paraphernalia, explores how “there’s a big push to go and rescue Catholics because they’re being slaughtered in Nigeria. Different groups are sending people to save the children. And what I’m trying to say is it’s not a new phenomenon. This has been going on.”
A third piece — of a businessman whose body is covered by words like “Vicodin,” “Demerol,” “oxycontin” and “tramadol” — seems to be a critique of the pharmaceutical industry.
“Big Pharma: It Is About the Money” by Mabry Turner Credit: Brian Chilson
“He’s made a fortune with legal opiates,” Turner said. “He has a house in Paris, and he has one in the Caymans for various purposes of entertainment. And currently he’s under indictment in the Southern District of New York.”
Oddly specific biographies like these underpin most of her sculptures, so if you get a chance to read the paragraphs of writing displayed with each piece — or, even better, if Turner’s around to tell you the story herself — I’d recommend paying close attention.
“The Duck Hunters: Duke and Duane Bag Their First Duck” by Mabry Turner Credit: Brian Chilson
