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<\/a>Nicholas Crombach, Woman Wearing Wilting Laurels, 2014, resin, paint, steel, 26″ x 18″ x 12″. Courtesy of Angell Gallery<\/p>\nA flattened and folded bear, sculpted in clay and then cast in resin, is mounted on a wall in a manner that recalls the centuries-old tradition of taxidermy, while its mouth is filled with a bouquet of flowers that further emphasizes its decorative properties. Crombach presents a potent criticism of the immorality of trophy hunting and taxidermic practices, where an animal\u2019s vitality is overshadowed by its aesthetic presence on a mantle, manifesting the idea of humankind\u2019s emotional disconnect with other species. Suddenly, the somnolence of the bust-figure becomes juxtaposed with the psychological vacancy of the bear, creating an interesting narrative between the works presented in the gallery.<\/p>\n
Melancholy is a shared emotional state between the other sculptures within the exhibition. An almost life-size elderly male figure, clad in a pair of long johns and touting a toy bow and arrow, is stripped of any sense of wisdom and fortitude. His hunting apparatuses are replaced with harmless children\u2019s playthings; his physical appearance vulnerable in its revealing state, while his physiognomy reveals a sense of strain and uneasiness, altogether resembling a defenseless victim to a dominant predator.<\/p>\n The exhibition creates a discourse around the interactivity and co-existence between humans and other earthly beings. Whether he is questioning the ethics of embalmed animal carcasses as decoration, or simply visualizing universal feelings of fear and despondence, Crombach\u2019s somber artworks remain interesting aesthetic objects as well. Trapped requires a viewer\u2019s careful contemplation and interpretation in order for this mixed media offering to thematically resonate beyond its rather expansive premise.<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicholas Crombach, Still Life, 2015, resin, paint, wood, found vase, 66″ x 62″ x 10″. Courtesy of Angell Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicholas Crombach, Man with Child’s Bow and Arrows, 2013,resin, paint, steel, 60″ x 24″ x 24″. Courtesy of Angell Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Nicholas Crombach, Predator, Prey & Victim, 2015, resin, paint, rabbit pelt, 26″ x 26″ x 12″. Courtesy of Angell Gallery<\/p>\n