MONICA KIM GARZA
SUPER SOAKHER
24 Oct 2015 to 14 Nov 2015
Super Soakher stems from the squirt gun that can be bought at Wal-Mart. It’s also a sexual metaphor for women who get super wet during sex. The title, Super Soakher, is a representation of water and how is relates to the “her,” who is essentially the artist (Monica) but also so many other women just like her. It refers to how the “her” can be found in fun, sexual, and playful watery situations from the beach to the gym to the studio to the bed, etc.
The art seen in Super Soakher is an ongoing evolution of Monica’s personal journey inspired by her day to day thoughts and experiences. Her characters are often depicted surfing and swimming in the the waves carefree with sharks chasing them from time to time. The shark may represent the relationship and struggles between female and male, enemy and friend, or victory and defeat; the scenarios are limitless. This ying and yang to her work is also seen within her technique as well combining thickly applied brushstrokes to a clean and visible image.
The “her” is also seen in other settings. One notable setting would be the bedroom in which the viewer may notice how the cellphone plays a recurrent role. The viewer can see a cell phone throughout her works. What does it mean to be a slave to the phone waiting for his text or more like on Instagram? Does this hold us back? Who/what does the cellphone represent and why does she always need to be with it? The artist herself often asks these questions in her own life.
Many of the titles in this exhibition play into the narrative of a guy, who is never seen in the paintings but always felt. Perhaps we are just waiting for him to appear in the near future, or perhaps he will never appear. We wonder who this guy is and what he represents. Is he a specific person or just a different Fuckboi every time? Or maybe these are just shallow titles reflecting the lives of other girls as seen through the artist’s eye? This struggle of how to participate in a modern relationship with all its trappings and distractions, is a point of interest for Monica and Super Soakher delves into these thoughts viscerally leaving the viewer to reinterpret his/her own experiences upon the works.