Mom! Shut The Door!
ROD's just reading comics and listening to Manson

Even with a leap and a bound over the (faux) preconceived preference for haughtiness over low-brow, Pop and Op art that comes with the fickly Miami scene, Bubbles by the French artist known as ROD, doesn’t strike as marvelously extraordinary. Upon entering, the exhibit immediately shakes hands with the kinetic, larger-than-life mind of Roy Lichtenstein, but the three-dimensional fireworks fail to conduct the outlandish socio-commentary or jumbo-liveliness from the friendly exchange, even when Lichtenstein’s face literally dots a piece entitled “Spiderman KO.”

How ROD isolates a superhero, taken from Marvel comics, and magnifies its signature emotion—the rage of Logan in “Wolverine 1” and “2,” or the humbling despair of Captain America, is worth viewing in person. In their respective comics, the hearts of these characters are below the surface, pumping through extraordinary fits and panels, and through this medium it has taken hundreds to thousands of issues and plotlines for them to shine. By trimming away the assault of athletic missions, and enlarging and freezing in on signature facial expressions, the works pay a certain tribute, albeit one commonly fostered by adolescence, to the ethological strength of these fictional creations.

But then ROD also focuses on Marilyn Manson in a similar manner, and what the hell is he doing next to Wolverine? The thematic enjoyment of Bubbles, which runs from January 7 to February 21, takes a detour left unexplained, and in an exhibit such as this, it’s a big WTF thought bubble (note: it seems ROD made seven different pieces using the face of tortured, little Brian Warner, culminating in “MM V”). See, comics are fed to the man-child, and all of the takes here are of male characters, so why not toy with the psyches of Jean Grey, Rogue or even Bryce Howard (fuck Kirsten Dunst)? Manson’s inclusion makes you wonder if ROD recreated the random, adored sources of entertainment one might find in his bedroom or on any locker door circa ‘97.

Debonair cool-cat gallery owner Damien B. may have inadvertently hinted at this via email.

“Timid by nature, ROD's artistic ability is still evolving. He has an unexpressed side that he wishes to discover within himself. ROD proves serious art can also be playful. In addition to bringing awareness to the drawing, designing, and storytelling of the visual novels he admires.”

Well, aside from that Spooky Kid snafu, Bubbles hones a carefree, unaware sensibility, all that ka-pow cheesiness of comic books and being 14 hasn’t matured into a depressingly desperate ironic funnel for artistic credibility, if only one feted amongst the low-brow priests.

True to its source, one filled with bigger-than-thou visuals, passionate playground debates and day-dream simplicity, it ain’t exactly Louvre material, and walking around Wynwood, including the now long defunct OBJEX Art Space down the street, I haven’t seen an exhibit quite like it (plus, I didn’t even get free wine!). Now, as I go get right tipsy, Damien can give a succinct modus operandi as the haters scatter to blog infinitum.