A dreamy exhibit titled “I Want to Believe” at Martha’s opens with a lyric taken from Paul Simon’s 1990 song “The Obvious Child”:
Some people say the sky is just the sky
But I say
Why deny the obvious…?
Gallery owners Meredith Williams and Ricky Morales use the lyric as the show’s sole description, opting out of the usual comprehensive writeup that hand-holds viewers through the meaning and contents of an exhibit. It’s very fitting to me that the description comes from a song that, back when I first heard it, I both enjoyed and didn’t understand.
“I Want to Believe” is a collaborative group show that combines the work of various emerging artists from two different galleries. Presenting four artists from Martha’s stable and four artists from the Dallas contemporary art gallery 12.26, the full list of featured talent includes J.A Feng, Emily Furr, Calhan Hale, Julia Maiuri, Conner O’Leary, Hasani Sahlehe, Brach Tiller, and Wes Thompson.
What unifies the show is not the medium or style of the artists, but instead is the theme that artists were instructed to explore. This came down to one nebulous keyword: “sci-fi.” Intentionally vague, the curators chose the exhibition’s concept with the desire to produce weird outcomes. Successful in their venture, the medley of distinctive artists all exploring “sci-fi” results in a peculiar and unexpected display.
My favorite piece in the group show is Conner O’Leary’s surreal Psychic Emissary. The experience of looking at it is reminiscent of the compelling confusion of taking in an optical illusion or an uncanny dream.
Each piece is visually and stylistically different, yet tied together by originality. Laundry Day by J.A Feng portrays a scene of humanlike figures gleefully romping about in the machine and glimmering from the wash. Hasani Sahlehe’s painting San Gabriel is an abstract colorful piece, textured with lime-green bubbly goop that brings aliens to mind. The sole sculpture is Ghost Dog, a skillfully constructed wooden canine constructed by Wes Thompson. Hanging from thin strings in the middle of the room is this precious scene of a sleepy dog, floating around like a friendly ghost.
My favorite piece is Conner O’Leary’s surreal Psychic Emissary. A painting that possesses an eeriness as well as a silliness, it depicts a mirror reflecting a pint glass that is levitating over a white marble table. Outside of the mirror frame, on the bottom right of the painting, is a charming scene of a tiny figure riding a tiny horse. The piece reminds me of Magritte with its shading and oddity. The experience of looking at it is reminiscent of the compelling confusion of taking in an optical illusion or an uncanny dream.
Altogether the talent on display is serious, but the collection’s tone is playful and lighthearted, tickling the imagination without necessarily having a life-altering or self-important message. Walking through the two small rooms, you don’t know what you’re looking at or necessarily why, but the experience provokes a pleasant reaction. I like it when people communicate their weird ideas out loud; that’s one of the main joys of consuming art. “I Want to Believe” does what an exhibit should do, which is expose you to intrigue, creativity, and talent. Whether or not it makes sense is beside the point.
“I Want to Believe”
Martha’s
Through April 20
This article appears in April 5 • 2024.