ESSEX, CONN.- Melanie Carr Gallery is presenting Scenes from the Apocalypse, featuring ceramic works by local artist Jennifer McCandless. This series uses humor and satirical narratives to challenge the viewer’s perspectives on constructions of identity and societal norms. Scenes from the Apocalypse is on view street-side now through May 31, 2020.

Given the circumstances of our time, MCG reconfigured the space to an intimate street-side viewing gallery. While the gallery remains closed to the public, you can view artwork on foot or by car with precaution. All work on view is accessible 24 hours a day.

Owner/Director of Melanie Carr Gallery said: “Thank you to everyone who has provided amazing digital content — it is necessary and inspiring — but there is no replacement to viewing, or living with, actual artwork in the physical world. I am pleased to present Scenes from the Apocalypse, safely and responsibly, and hope it will be enjoyed by many as we continue to take good care of each other during this unprecedented time.”

The expressive quality of McCandless’ works takes dark, personal realities and offers a sympathetic, playful scene. The lively individuals embody the multiplicities of female experience, including body image, beauty standards, marriage, and relationships of humanity in nature. They also tell stories of struggle and offer commentary on society's fears for the future. Our relationships to ourselves, each other, death, religion, nature: these are everyday topics but are often rather unpalatable to think seriously and critically about. In this exhibition, viewers will experience serious issues twisted into something darkly humorous. McCandless stated, "I use the humor as an access point to the viewer, using satire to look at darkness; not to dismiss it, but to grapple with it anew. I am creating a polyphony of voices, celebrating the mundane, the grotesque, the unnoticed, a contemporary unsung chorus.”

Scenes from the Apocalypse is on view through May 31, 2020.