Artist Essay: Micol Hebron and Joseph DeLappe
Artist: Micol Hebron
Media: Digital Media, Social Media, Performance, Sculpture, Painting
Website: http://micolhebron.artcodeinc.com/
Artist: Joseph DeLappe
Media: Art Installation, Sculpture, Video Games
Website: http://www.delappe.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephdelappe/
To Begin with, Micol Hebron is a 48-year-old artist and Professor whose forms of media are social media, transformative speaking, video, and digital media. Rarely does her work involve physical mediums like painting and drawing. Hebron attended the University of California, Los Angeles and received a Bachelor’s of Art in 1995 and a Master’s of Fine Arts in 2000. Also, She has founded “Gallery B-12” which is a lecture space and artist exhibition in Hollywood. The second group “LA Art Girls” consists of 30+ post-graduate Female artists that work in the L.A. area. Hebron is currently a Professor, residing at Chapman University. In addition, Joseph DeLappe is an artist whose forms of media are sculpture, art installation, and video games. DeLappe has a lot of education under his belt and consists of an Associate’s of Arts from San Francisco City College, a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design from San Jose State University, and Finally, an MA in Computers in Art and Design and Masters in Pictorial Arts From “CADRE Laboratory for New Media.” His most notable work is the video game “Kill Box” which expressed the severity and cost of drone attacks.
In regards to the work of each artist, Micol Hebron’s works create conversation, raise awareness, and evoke empathy with the core concept being feminism and gender inequality. Her installation entitled “Sisterhood is Powerful” which was displayed at Jancar Gallery in 2011. The 5 ½ foot tall vagina made of quartz crystal also poured Pina Coladas for viewers to enjoy. Installed onto a wall and above a brown shag carpet, the piece is beautiful and refracts lights and many different angles. I believe this piece shows the beauty of the female body and the choice of using quartz crystal was no accident. Furthermore, the piece is showstopping and is beautiful to look at. The texture is rough and jagged, but the colors are shades of nudes that complement the “vagina” concept the installation demonstrates. The scale is perfect to see from a distance, but too eye-catching to not witness from a closer distance. Furthermore, the performance piece entitled “Kindness of Strangers” took place at the National Review of Live Art in Glasgow, Scotland. The piece involved Hebron and a stranger who attended the art gallery to have a “one-on-one” experience. In other words, Hebron offered backrubs, telling secrets, learning a dance, or just conversation. In return, the stranger would act on Hebron as a sort of “exchange”. The concept of this performance is to express the “Kindness Of Stangers” and how doing a nice deed for others will return to the giver. Although simple, the performance expresses empathy among strangers and warm energy that is unexplainable. Finally, Herbrons photography shoot entitled “In Decent Exposure”, created in 2011, exposes the nude female form. Each photo in the shoot illustrates Hebron nude and dressed, doing activities such as eating in a diner, surfing through a library, and sitting at a park bench. The premise is to normalize the female form since all the pieces involve being present in a public setting. While everyone is dressed, Hebron is nude which is freeing and allows her to be vulnerable and unique. The scale of the piece is small at an 18 x 18-inch scale but can be upscaled due to the media that was used being photography. Overall, the pieces address normalizing female beauty, both body and form, as well as portraying fun new concepts like treating others with kindness but in the immediate future.
Joseph DeLappe’s main premise for art is to address political ideas and expose the unethical nature that reinforces them. The work entitled “Liberty Weeps”, created in 2015, is a Polygon Cardboard Structure which illustrates the model of the “Statue of Liberty” but in a crying figure. The Statue of Liberty demonstrates the power, trust, and honor of the United States but these ideal are currently under fire. Although the piece was created in 2015, the image of “Liberty Weeps” could be applied to our corrupt society that abuses power and neglects equality among civilians. The “Black Lives Matter” is a great example of why society is not noble or “honorable” like the Statue of Liberty demonstrates it is. Jagged but straight lines create the sculpture, and the choice of material is ethical since DeLappe chose cardboard and not plastic. The scale is large, taller than DeLappe. The color palette is a common brown that is apparent in cardboard, but the angles of the sculpture create a sheen and depth that wraps the entire sculpture. Another piece entitled “The 1000 Drones”, created in 2014 and 2017, consists of 1000 drones made of paper. The original Japan piece noted that the person who folds 100 paper cranes would be granted a wish. DeLappe attaches this ideal to his piece, where the wish was to remember all the innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq who were killed by drones. The names and numbers of those who died are marked as “unknown” but the piece offers empathy to the victims. Paper is the main material that makes up each drone which is then hung by strings onto the ceiling. The scale of the entire installation is large, but each paper drone is much smaller. The color palette is white and the shape is inconsistent since each model is hung at a different height. However, the tone of the piece is calm and very peaceful which exhibits DeLappe’s mission for it. Finally, “Playing Unreal”, crated in 1998, is one of Delappe’s first “Art/painting” pieces created by computer means. The piece is simple, visualizing the movements his mouse made while playing the first-person shooter entitles “Unreal”. The medium involves graphite on paper and is very jagged and messy. There is no central rhythm, but there is absolutely a curve apparent in each of the 4 pieces. DeLappe’s work is political, but he incorporates computer knowledge which makes it unique.
Conclusively, Both artists are completely different and unique. Hebron’s work touches me because feminism needs to be accepted by more people. In addition, the female form is beautiful and her pieces portray that. Her perspective/sculpture of the female vagina was just a beauty to look at. Although I am a male, it is still gorgeous and the choice of materials is excellent. Furthermore, I agree with her ideals and concepts completely. In regards to DeLappe, I had never seen art quite like his. This is by no means negative, but it was nice to view something outside of the norm. He addresses society but educationally and elegantly that most artists may not. His most compelling art piece was “Libert Weeps” because I can feel its purpose. In our climate, liberty is non-existent, and DeLappe captured it. It was a pleasure to view art styles that I have never seen and witnessed how the experience of different artists is incorporated into their work.