Contrasting to Kegler’s colorful characters are Julia Dzwonkoski’s minimal 8.5 x 11 inch acrylic gouache drawings of ghosts garbed in the stereotypical bedsheet. In her drawings, we witness ghosts sharing private thoughts, performing absurd actions, and sharing awkward moments with other ghosts. If death is the “great equalizer” then Dzwonkoski’s drawings are the sequel tinged with Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Camus influence. Referencing Theater of the Absurd, Dzwonkoski sardonically outsources the iconic spirit to haunt us with questions of nihilism and existentialism. The dilemma of repetition and purpose dominates the drawing Shampoo Conditioner depicting ghost with the almost-empty shampoo bottle and somewhat-full conditioner bottle. Lather, rinse, and repeat are more than simply empirical observations and further relate to conflicts of morale— “Is the glass half empty?”— all while playing on language with the word “spirit”. These random ghost acts are given order through their installation in a grid, underscoring the Funny Pages while simultaneously backhanding the art market and questioning affluence. Her comical approach to taboo and challenging topics forms a seamless space where even I question the afterlife of our gallery, Undercurrent. Do we become a giant Christo piece, covered with an oversized white sheet spooking the next tenants or will we quietly and gracefully fade into the background?
