Friday, June 18, 2004
"I invite those that may object to my choice of subject, or who fear the exploitation of a disabled minority, to consider the words of author Robert Bogdan when he said:
'Freak' is a frame of mind, a set of practices, a way of thinking about and presenting people. It is not a person but the enactment of a tradition, the performance of a stylized presentation.
As a Victorian sideshow talker might say to draw a crowd and 'turn the tip', "Here they are, splendidly fraudulent yet marvelous, brought forth for your edification and amusement. This Congress of Oddities awaits your intimate and learned inspection."-- James G. Mundie, June 2003
Giant George Auger and Midget Tom Sordie
glossy photograph from Kobel collection, 7 x 5 inches, printed circa 1950
Most intriguing, however, is Mundie's own artwork.
"Conjoined (2002)" is an image of "skeletal conjoined twins, such as one might find on display in a medical museum. The Latin inscription "HOMO NON SEPARET" is borrowed from the traditional wedding service, where it is often translated as 'what God has joined let no man break asunder.'"
SIgned woodcuts of "Conjoined (2002) are available for sale via Mundie's site and inquiries may be made there regarding the artist's other available artwork.
