Tipping Observation at Mars Gallery

by Anna Rathman

Blue Commodore

Syndy Ziegenfuss’s “Tipping Observation”, currently on show at the Mars Gallery, calls upon her Midwestern upbringing and background in design. The work consists of collages of both imagery and some objects encased in a yellow-tinted epoxy. She relies heavily on the layering of reoccurring imagery and motifs to create complex images, and help form a general mood for the show. However, the work is so purposefully cryptic,  and the point of view and narrative aspects are obscured. While the artist uses very specific, familiar imagery, it is recombining that makes them feel new.  The result is a show consisting of work that is all visually similar, but that serve an unclear purpose.

Caribbean Moonlight and Happy Highway

Throughout the show, one often encounters license plates, homes, and hotels, but flowers and birds seem the most often repeated. The repetition of elements may take away some of their impact. The use of hotels, cars, and birds become symbols for transience and mobility. The works may be better served with a more unusual treatment of these icons. In “Tipping Observation” the images in combination with their triptych arrangement points to a religious meaning. “Caribbean Moonlight” does not share the same subtleties, but rather offers an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is as if the complexity of most of the works seeks to obscure the meaning of its symbols, rather than using the symbols to construct meaning.

Tipping Observation

The work utilizes a design approach to image making. Ziegenfuss combines images in an aesthetically and intriguing way, but remains neutral in her delivery, and would benefit from taking greater risks in the subject matter or treatment of familiar icons.