museum of new art 

CHRISTOPHER GIDEON's

DOUBLE PLAY

at the Museum of New Art (MONA)

 

April 9 ­through May 7, 2016

 

Artist's Reception:

Saturday, April 9 from 6 to 9pm

2501 Rochester Court, Troy, MI

 

In the 1980s, a blemished decade in baseball history, young boys throughout America adopted their fathers’ age-­old hobby of collecting trading cards. This memorabilia combined flashy graphics with the players’ photos while subliminally marketing vices to adolescent fans.

 

Big­leaguer mimicry was common amongst young men. Chewing “man size wads” of bubblegum developed into teenage tobacco use and other substance abuse. Bombastic personalities in the stadium were imitated on local playing fields, while gold chains worn by the pros were also flaunted in the classroom. Corrupt souls in the dugout were indeed masquerading as mighty role models on the turf.

 

Now, as hindsight lifts the veil of childhood perception, even more truths are uncovered. Great success stories have been marred by bad decisions and negated by tragic misfortunes. Illegal substances that enhanced performance destroyed the body and soul, though a few players who faltered sought redemption through penitence.

 

DOUBLE PLAY explores these abject themes. The baseball cards used in the collages were handpicked from the artist’s childhood collection, deconstructed, and reassembled into geometric shapes, patterns, and anecdotal objects. Meanwhile, the prints and installations magnify damning clues hidden in certain cards so that the evidence is irrefutable.

 

Altogether, these works attempt to weave a new and cautionary tale about our country's most treasured, yet dubious sport.