Encircled by insects and loving it
EYE ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Insects are oh so sexy in art.
I saw it first hand and now I’m a believer. Since my childhood
I’ve had an aversion toward bugs, except butterflies, lady bugs and
the like, but now I’ve been converted and find insects to be art and
even sexy. Well, at least that’s the case with artist Mike Tauber’s
new exhibit “Sexy Insects,” which opened Tuesday at Woody’s at the
Beach to a full house.
The event was extraordinary I had an absolute blast. There was an
array of sideline entertainment going on that usually isn’t found at
an art opening. Tauber wanted it to invite crowd participation.
The premise of the exhibit was to take insects, or low-life
creatures and pair them with pop culture which is considered to be
sexy. He was inspired by Ogden Nash’s poems about bugs and used
images of that era, such as Marilyn Monroe with ants in a creation
called “Ant Marilyn.”
Part of the fun included a poetry reading of Ogden Nash’s poems by
actor George J. Woods, who did a fantastic, colorful narration and
the playing of the groovy soundtrack produced specially for the
exhibit by DJ Sir Adamsmasher.
Sir Adamsmasher spent quite a stint on the Billboard Electronica
charts with fellow DJ star Hawke. He’s quite talented and really
knows how to put on a show when he spins and performs. The packaging
of “Insectric Electric” was hand done, adding to the flavor.
Another enjoyable event was the art in progress, for which town
dignitaries worked together to place pieces together and create a
mosaic.
“In a Flash” snapped pictures where people could stick their head
through a cut out hole where the front was painted like a bug. Each
person got to bring back glossy evidence of their bug experience.
There was also a drawing where people guessed how many ants there
were in the “Ant Marilyn” piece and the closest three won prizes.
Tauber announced the lucky winners.
“I used 1036 ants,” Tauber said. “Diane Brazelton from Laguna
guessed 1,032 winning first, artist Shelley got second place by
guessing 1,023 and third was won by Chris Oswalt from ‘Bubbles’ in
the Hotel Laguna.”
If there was a fourth place, Sian Poeschl and I tied, unbeknownst
to the other, guessing 999.
Tauber gave quite a moving speech before the work was revealed,
wearing antennae and funky bug-like glasses throwing out any metaphor
-- “bugaphor” -- possible, as a lot of people where engaging in
bug-speak.
“I’ve been crawling with anticipation, itching to do an art show,”
Tauber said. “One of the best things about being an artist in Laguna
Beach is all the support from the other artists.”
He waxed on ... and now I’ll wax on ...
In order to capture the spirit of the event, I mingled with the
crowd and asked what they thought of the experience.
“Mike does so much for the community, he’s a great artist and I
knew this would be a fun event,” said Sawdust Festival Public
Relations Director Rebecca Meekma. “He’s so creative, kooky and fun.”
“It ‘bugs’ me that there’s not more art like this in Laguna
Beach,” artist Gerard Stripling said. “It’s avant-garde, I know
there’s a market for this; it just needs to be exposed out there in
the galleries. In a word -- excellent.
“Mike is wonderfully inventive, he’s such a cool guy to offer not
only himself and his work, but also his sense of humor,” board member
of California Choreographers Dance Festival, Suzi Chauvel said. “This
is a fabulous new series of art, his presentation is part of his art
process.”
“‘Sexy Insects’ is a spectacular show, which everyone should come
and visit,” Marketing Director for Festival of Arts and Pageant of
the Masters Sharbie Higuchi said. “It’s another fabulous example of
Mike Tauber’s brilliance and creativity.”
“I’ve always admired Mike Tauber’s work both as a Festival
exhibitor and also his design work,” said Director of the Pageant of
the Masters Diane Challis Davy.
“Mike is full of surprises and energy,” gallery owner Marion
Cuddyer said. “It’s the most innocent concept, taking something so
little such as ants and something so high up like Marilyn Monroe --
it’s very creative putting that kind of thought together.”
“Mike’s given so much to our community, not just as an artist, but
as an arts commissioner,” Mayor Toni Iseman said.
“Mike is extremely creative, an ingenious kind of guy,” local
collector Lynne Biscreglia said. “I thought it was astonishing, he
takes art and makes a twist that is so unexpected.”
Biscreglia bought “Ant Marilyn” at the show.
Tauber’s comments the next morning, “It was off the top,
unbelievable, the patio and inside were packed. My goal for the event
was to get the people to participate in the arts. I enjoy art that
combines disciplines such as poetry, music and visual arts and
inspires interaction on all levels.”
He said the best part of the event was watching guests become bugs
in the photo wall.
“This art event was way more than just me, all this contribution,
I’m really grateful, absolutely grateful for all the people and
businesses who helped out and fellow artists helped me personally,”
Tauber said. “The ultimate success of the event is that people will
get more involved in the arts in the future.”
Owners Joel Herzer and Alford Harrison were the perfect host,
making sure everyone was enjoying themselves.
The exhibit runs through June 30 at Woody’s, 1305 S. Coast
Highway. For information, call 376-8809.
* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline
Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321 or suzie.harrison@latimes.com.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.