BWW Reviews: ART SHOW/MODEL SHOW an Unexpected and Memorable Look at Art

ART SHOW/MODEL SHOW, produced by Paper Chairs, plays The Off Shoot at 2211 Hidalgo, Austin now thru September 14th. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm with an additional show on Sunday, September 8th at 8pm. Tickets are $15-$25. For tickets and more information, please visit www.paperchairs.com

There are so many characters in the visual arts who we instantly recognize. The Mona Lisa. The statue of David. We could probably even name the artist and where the piece is showcased now. But what about the models that inspired these iconic works? As one performer in Art Show/Model Show asks, "Why does the identity of the model disappear?" It's doubtful that the models/performers in Art Show/Model Show will ever disappear from the memory of Austin audiences. With a fearless combination of humor and poignancy, the performers give us a unique perspective from behind the canvas.

As a whole, Art Show/Model Show is delightfully difficult to pin to a genre. It's not a comedy or a drama. It's not even really a play in the traditional sense. The closest description would be a staged documentary, and a well done, engaging, and effective one at that.

As audience members enter the theater, they're given a pencil and a sketch pad and encouraged to sketch during the show. Waiting inside the theater are five models (Kelli Bland, Meghan Morongova, Michelle Keffer, Jorge Sermini, and Jen Brown, all of whom are credited with creating the show) standing on platforms in front of several artists, behind which are seats for the audience. We're essentially flies on the wall of a figure art studio and can see both the models and the artists do their work.

Once the show begins, the models disrobe and pose for the artists, interjecting their thoughts on art, why they model, how they prepare, and what they feel about the art they've helped to create. Added to the mix are videoed interviews with various Austin-based artists, but as interesting as the filmed interviews are, the models and their stories are what truly makes the piece great. We're told what goes through the mind of a model as they expose themselves for someone else's art, and those thoughts range from profound musings about the nature of art and of being human to the pain of holding a pose for fifteen minutes. There are plenty of quotable lines, but I'd rather not reproduce them here. Like any great art, seeing the original is far better than any duplication.

While Art Show/Model Show tries to be many things (a multimedia performance, a documentary, an art class, performance art), it all works. Each element supports the others, and every moment flows into the next like the calculated brush strokes of an established painter. In short, Art Show/Model Show is just as much a masterpiece as anyone could wish for.

Running time: 1 hour and 10 minutes with no intermission.

NOTE: Due to language and nudity, recommended for mature audiences only.

ART SHOW/MODEL SHOW, produced by Paper Chairs, plays The Off Shoot at 2211 Hidalgo, Austin now thru September 14th. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm with an additional show on Sunday, September 8th at 8pm. Tickets are $15-$25. For tickets and more information, please visit www.paperchairs.com

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