Art Lies, Volume 37, Winter 2002-2003 Page: 90

                                
HOUSTON

Hills Snyder: Yesferatu
Gallery Sonja Roesch
Reviewed by Catherine D. Anspon
For me, Hills Snyder stands out as one of the
most brilliant members of the Texas scene, a
provocateur extraordinaire whose highly original
colored acrylic sculptures are both arcane and
compelling.
Yesferatu, Snyder's inaugural show    at
Houston's Gallery Sonja Roesch, was both a
continuation and a departure, more politically
charged, yet possessing prototypical elements
that are pure Hillsian: use of his trademark
acrylic medium, unexpected placement of dis-
parate objects near a floor or ceiling, and above
all, the presence of the ubiquitous "smiley" face
which has become this sculptor's emblem.
Snyder's work has always been characterized
by its wry commentary on cultural idioms and
contemporary life, and Yesferatu was no excep-
tion, but this time, as mentioned above, the
context was expanded to include specific obser-
vations-hard hitting commentary on two
American institutions. As the artist's accompa-
nying statement revealed, this exhibition, with
its emphasis on "duplicitous historical figures
such as Henry Ford and Walt Disney suggests a
bifurcated take on the national character."
Snyder's slash attack on these mainstream
icons is not as shocking as it would have been
perhaps five years ago. With the advent of the
Ford/Firestone tire debacle, Enron-itis, and
America's increasing distrust of behemoth cor-
porate giants such as Disney, Snyder is perfectly
in sync with the national consciousness. What
was novel however, was his reaching back into
history to reveal that the founders of these auto
and media empires were in fact supremely prej-
udiced and completely non-PC. The contrast
between the upbeat, feel-good appearance of
the sculpture and its implied creepy, disturbing
content made the viewer question their
initial reactions. Indeed, Snyder's coolly consid-
ered Yesferatu succeeded in luring the onlooker
in...then delivered its subversive message on a
plate littered with candy-colored Pop debris.
The most complex sculpture, Dr. Chlorophyll,
a personal favorite of mine, superimposed the
likeness of a Disney-esque Count Dracula over a

Hills Snyder, Dr. Chlorophyll, 2002
Acrylic mounted Durst print on birch support
51/4 x 571/4 x 11/2 inches
Courtesy Gallery Sonja Roesch
leering smiley face: Halloween meets unwaver-
ing cheeriness, a nation of anti-heroes on anti-
depressants, Snyder seems to be saying. It's a
strange mixed metaphor, one that succeeds
troublingly.
I liked the blithe optimism of the show's
Tinkerbell, rendered in the sculpture Swoop,
which hovered unexpectedly, and almost out of
sight, near the top of the gallery's rectangular
clerestory window. Later though, I wondered
about this cheerfully beguiling fairy with her
curvaceous Barbie Doll body concocted from
lurid pink acrylic; could she be headed for a
crash landing?
The Henry Ford references were more cir-
cuitous and obscure, hence, to me, less success-
ful. Works such as Crosscut and Private Sector,
however, I'm sure would appeal to minimalists.
The former was based on an arcane reference to
Mississippi blues man T-Model Ford, with the
silhouette of a saw painted in white paint so that
it almost disappeared into the gallery wall;
the latter, a six-piece work rendered in pencil on
paper, traced the outline of a mid-twenties
Model T. A more compelling work in its exquisite
restraint was Where Are You (While the World

Hills Snyder, WildBill (Nostradamos 'n'Andy), 2002
Acrylic mounted Durst print on birch support
33/4 x 33/4 x 2"
Courtesy Gallery Sonja Roesch
Keeps Turning), a simple smiley face executed in
pencil on four panels; the outlines of the face
were so faint, it seemed ready to evaporate.
In contrast, When You Say That confidently
raised the flag of gay rights and was one of the
most visually dynamic sculptures of this exhibit.
Understatement went out the door as vibrant
mirrored acrylic reflected alternating rainbow
hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and pur-
ple. These pulsating bands were placed horizon-
tally to compose another smiley face.
For those like myself that were used to dis-
covering Snyder's strange output in the intimate
space of his previous dealer, Kathleen James
(where the sculptures worked very, very well in
James Gallery's Montrose bungalow), I was
surprised how beautifully his art translated in
Sonja Roesch's pristine new gallery. It was
a pleasant and delicious discovery as these
recent sculptures (all works 2002) gleamed and
beckoned us to their idiosyncratic, weird, yet
intriguing universe.

90  ARTL!ES WINTER 2002-2003