Combining brash humor and visual poetry, “nervous surf” attempts to trace the genesis of the perceived, widening gulf between american and european (specifically french) political and cultural ideologies. with ten new drawings and several sculptures, the exhibition spans marquee 20th century thru present-day events, from the critically significant (i.e. the landings at normandy beach during ww2), to the utterly salacious (i.e. roman polanski’s sexual assault) which have helped shape these perceptions.
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“nervous surf” can be viewed almost entirely through the prism of the first work encountered in the exhibition, “fingering spaghettio’s, a colored pencil rendering of my own hands captured mid-lewd gesture with an open can of the flagship ‘franco-american’ brand product, spaghettio’s. In considering contemporary franco-american relations, I felt it apropos to contemplate how an Italian dish was modified/perverted then mixed with sliced beef ‘franks,’ and manufactured under the label ‘franco-american,’ with a product overwhelmingly marketed to and massively consumed by americans, and branded by a goofy, but memorable tag-line: “uh-oh spaghettio’s!” the connotations and history encased in this single image represent the common thread operating throughout the exhibition.
Eric Yahnker / Nervous Surf
Opening May 29, 19:00 – 21:00
Galerie Jeanroch Dard
13 rue des Arquebusiers
75003 Paris
