Opening Sat 1/26 @ 7pm
By Hollie Gibbs
Those Clevelanders who prefer driving a car to riding a hydrogen-fueled bus would be wise to keep the car doors locked while cruising down rural roads at night for melonheads lurk around every corner.
Soon a new bridge will connect Tremont to Gateway, but those willing to stop on almost any old bridge in Ohio can hear the faint sound of disembodied crying seeping in through the cracked windows.
Countless Ohio teens spend blackened summer nights searching for the ghosts of wondering children at the ruins of Gore Orphanage, and few know Boston Township by any name other than Helltown.
Sure downtown may be full of expensive lofts now, but at one time its shanty towns contained the gruesome remains of the torso murders.
Charles Manson was born in the state, and Jeffrey Dahmer grew up here.
Countless Latter Day Saints may pilgrimage to Kirtland, but it was also the site of Jeffrey Lundgren’s cult killings. And we are all still coming to grips with the horrors Anthony Sowell committed in his Mt. Pleasant home.
The sinister has always existed in these parts, and the latest show curated by Breakneck Gallery, James “The Human Furnace” Bulloch, Ron Kretch and Martin Geramita is set to celebrate it. Evil Ohio will allow local artists to explore the Buckeye State’s dark side.
“Anybody who has grown up in, or heck, even just lived in Ohio for longer than 15 minutes can tell you how bizarre and how messed up the state of Ohio is,” Bulloch said. “Many Ohioans spend a lot of energy trying to fight that perception. Well, we here at Evil Ohio are embarrassing that reality. Expect to see pieces ranging from murderers, urban legends, dirty rock-stars, corruptionists, and everything in-between. It’s going to be a delightful exhibit exposing Ohio’s dark underbelly.”
Kretch cited the diverse backgrounds of the three curators (hardcore singer and tattoo artist James Bulloch, former Free Times/ Cleveland Scene art director Ron Kretsch, and former 1300 Gallery curator Martin Geramita) as an advantage over most shows.
“The differences among the three curators ensure that despite the narrowness of the theme, the show will be a powerful example of the Northeast Ohio art scene’s multiformity.”
Artists include James Bulloch, Sean Burns, Ralph Walters, Derf, Frank Walls, Matthew Sweeney, Karl Berringer, Steven Anderson, Geoff May, Erin Mulligan, Jason Byers, Mikey Arnold, Steve Ehret, Sean Kelly, R!ch Cihlar, Grant Smrekar (Rustbelt Welding), Steve Knerem, Chad Kimes, Barb Merritt, Jordan Beier, Lauren Chaikin, Ashley Ribblett, Billy Ludwig, Karen Novak, Shawny Walthaw, Billy Ludwig, Angela Oster, Matt Bors, Briette Sheaffer, and Richard VanOver.
“We all have our love for Ohio and Cleveland or else we wouldn’t stick around,” Geramita explained. “However, that being said, we feel there are too many I love Cleveland/Ohio shows and it has become redundant. We agreed it was time to delve deeper into the diverse history of the state and have some fun at the same time. The group of artists we selected brings attention to some of the lighter and darker folklore stories the state has to offer.”
Guests of the show would do best to beware, however, when traveling on Hopkins Ave. The firefighter roaming the grounds near the abandoned station breathed his last decades ago.
EVIL OHIO runs from Sat 1/26 through Fri 2/22. Opening & Artist Reception: Sat 1/26, 7pm-10pm. Fireball Whiskey will sponsor a 21+ after party with live music by Gluttons and the Unclean at the Spitfire Saloon, 1539 W. 117th St.
Breakneck Gallery, 17020 Madison Ave., Lakewood
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Friday 4pm-7pm; Saturday 2pm-8pm or by appointment
For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/events/380087952073623 or
http://breakneckgallery.com.
[Images – top to bottom]
Frank Walls, Homage, Acrylic
Angela Oster, Stiv Bators: Dead Boy, Acrylic
Hollie Gibbs has a BS in journalism from Kent State University and studied photography at School of the Visual Arts in Manhattan. Her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous local and national publications. She can also be found playing guitar with various bands and building life-size monster props.
Lakewood, OH 44107
Cleveland, OH 44107
3 Responses to “Evil Ohio: Giving Darkness Its Due”
bob
wha insipring folks to go OUT there AND…..FORGOT SPISAK among many others…BE AN INTERESTING computer model of ALL these ‘individuals’…MAYBE one rather NOT know if know wha I mean as the song goes…
bob
On SOWELL…Sounds like some poo Home boy who lost his way soon as Mrs.gone…trying to go on mem far as the facts,etc.as reported…
HE was combo of hornyhound w/other BAD habits who developed this HIDEOUS pasttime …I PITY the H out of cops,rest who FINALLY found the ‘results’…closure for families and other..RIP…
NO idea WHA is goin on in PS1 schools BUT… if there is ANY course THAT should be taught it should be taught to young gals as to SOME stuff to look out for thou gals TEND to develop that streetie sense but STILL who expects THAT kind of horrorshow……GADS…THEN again the demographics of most of these gals are like well I CAN see WHY cops felt,reacted way did…IT is something like chasing ghosts,etc. and til LITERALLY have a NAKED gal JUMPING out of a second story window to save her life….
guyz ONLY have selves to blame…far as developing friendships,or FURTHER w/opposite sex…wha expect?
bob
CAN send the PodPeople artwork to OCCUPY crew..or ANONYMOUS crew…quite frankly LOT of people FEEL LIKE THEY have been well You know…SEEMS EACH financial disaster worse then the last…maybe more $,people,etc,involved and just seems THAT way….