Shannon Cannings

"Gunplay"

November 5 - December 23 2010
Helen DeVitt Jones Studio Gallery

For some time I have been interested in Americana, consumerism, and the plastic veneer that we spread around us and call comfort.

My most recent subject matter, toy guns, is more apparently subversive than my past work. As an artist and a consumer, I am drawn to the bright colors and thrilling packaging. I try to make these objects appealing and strong, so that the viewer is as absorbed by the formal beauty of the objects as I am. I have as much connection to the shiny translucent plastic as I do to the childhood nostalgia that they evoke. But there is always a question in my mind about glorified violence and lessons learned. Names like “Trigger Happy” and “Friendly Fire” diminish the violence of the act that they are meant to describe. I have two small children, and I am increasingly aware of mixed messages in advertising, and how my children try to figure out right from wrong.

GUNPLAY means the shooting of small arms with intent to scare or kill. Which part of that is the play? As with “Friendly Fire” or “Trigger Happy,” GUNPLAY uses language in ways that de-fuse the violence inherent in the action. Likewise, other media messages lull us into states of unquestioning acceptance of gun culture and acceptance of marketing as truth. I hope to engage viewers to explore their own relationships with guns and gun culture