The Wadsworth Atheneum is temporarily housing a time machine; Werewolf Karaoke is a portal to Justin Lowe’s interpretation of 1960s-1970s counterculture.
Walking around a room tiled with paperback books feels sacrilegious. Visitors are encouraged to take off their shoes to have an enhanced sensory experience. What does it feel like? Unstable. The “gallery” is like a carnival fun house complete with tinted windows, distorting mirrors, and brightly colored prints on the walls. A derivative of Werewolves on Wheels plays on a television.
Another room in the MATRIX 159 was inspired by the bathroom in CBGB. If you’ve never seen it, do an image search to get an idea. It’s dark and grimy –quite the contrast to the other rooms. Graffiti covers everything. Most people seemed to enter the exhibit through the faux bathroom, but I made this my last stop each time I walked through. When I return, I’ll try reversing my path to see if that changes my perception of the artwork.
In past exhibitions, Justin Lowe has created “gallery-lounge” installments in the shape of an ice cream trucks and bodega, to name a few.
Werewolf Karaoke will be viewable until September 5th.