"Chad McCail: Snake"
2003-08-01 until 2003-10-12
Des Moines Art Center
Des Moines, IA, USA

The series of digital prints entitled Snake that Chad McCail has developed over the last two years explores the antisexual nature of authority and the disciplinary quality of hierarchy. In the series, the snake is a figure for the vitality present in all living beings - a figure that is distorted and abused by power, later reconciled within the artist’s vision of a harmonious, integrated universe.

Exhibited with selections from his earlier works, Snake continues McCail’s signature graphic style, which emphasizes clarity and detail. The use of the computer in the series, McCail’s first digital body of work, has allowed the artist to push this graphic style further. The result is a pointed narrative of power, desire, and innocence, which draws on visual sources ranging from Egyptian hieroglyphs to vintage science fiction, as well as an array of psychological and social perspectives.

Chris Gilbert, associate curator, organized the Art Center’s presentation of Snake — the first solo exhibition in the United States by the Edinburgh-based artist.

The exhibition is supported by the British Council, Drake University’s Department of Art & Design, and Designed Images, Inc.

IMAGE:
Chad McCail (British, born 1961)
Living things emerge,
Snake 2001–3

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Iowa

Other Important Exhibitions in United States