As performers and sculptors, Catron and Outlaw are known for creating altered and displaced environments while they take on various roles, such as Jen n’ Outlaws Fish Fry Truck and Crawfish Boil, in which the artists created a hydraulically unfolding American Flag food truck serving Southern style fare in the middle of New York City. In Coming Soon, the duo acted as pilots of a hot air balloon, flying guests over New York.
In Imeday Imeday Ollarday Icklenay, Catron and Outlaw’s bold constructions and outrageous performances resulted in the transformation of Allegra LaViola Gallery into an elaborate dinner extravaganza. Guests were seated at a crystal clear table, and served decadent courses as the table rose 10 feet into the air above the onlookers. Adorning the walls were meticulous reimaginings of Old World Master paintings.
In Super Supra Diluvian, Catron and Outlaw take on roles of Artists: magnifying their fame, praising and critiquing themselves as well as the world at large. The duo’s interest in the shifting perception of reality and notoriety has led them to question what creativity and talent is, and what is rewarded. Gallery visitors will be shepherded through a gamut of activities, becoming integral to the show as they literally become the artwork. The audience as artist will take part in the celebration of themselves in an exciting, bacchanalian tour of their own success. While guests are amused, entertained, and perhaps unknowingly performing themselves, Catron and Outlaw will be engaging in a brave act of ultimate performance painfully gilding themselves as paramount figures within the art world. As the guests pretend to be the artists, so will the artists pretend to be famous.
In addition to sculpture, performance and installation, Catron and Outlaw have created a series of collages that weave together mythology, religion and contemporary culture, creating a new symbology and drawing parallels between gods and humans while skewering everyone’s desire for celebrity. Revolution and upheaval wash away stagnation, creating a new niche in today’s overwhelmed society. The show presents itself as an intermediary before drastic change and a liaison to a near future. Do not miss the spectacular moment, or you might be left behind.
Jennifer Catron & Paul Outlaw both received their MFAs from Cranbrook Academy of Art. They have exhibited at Richmond Center for the Arts, Kalamazoo, MI; MaSS MoCA, North Adams, MA; Grizzly Grizzly, Philadelphia, PA; Cranbrook Art Museum, Blooomfield Hills, MI and numerous public arenas. They have appeared in New York Magazine, Art Forum, Paper Magazine, Art Fag City, Time Out New York and The New York Times.