Woodland Sickling

Yosiell Lorenzo’s work fits into that saying: “never judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, his artwork is all cuteness: cupcakes, cherries and candy. But beneath the facade of frosting and the rainbow sprinkles camouflage, a sadness is stirring. Yosiell uses sweetness to reel us in. Once he has us in his saccharine net, we settle and see beyond the surface: these are cheerless creatures. They are all searching for love. The Sicklings are a troop of Yosiell’s recurring characters who are particularly mopey and needy. Rendered in sexless simplicity, the Sicklings function like anthropomorphic feelings: Frustration, loneliness, despair…Often the Sicklings wear masks. Yosiell uses masks as a device throughout his paintings and three dimensional work. The masks represent dual and hidden identities, as well as society’s attempts to label individuals who resist categorization. Yosiell has dealt with these identity issues first hand. As a gay, Puerto Rican artist, he was often told that he didn’t “look gay” or he was a “fake Rican”. Yosiell was introduced to art in his youth during a time when hip hop and graffiti defined urban culture. Growing up in Bridgeport, CT, he’d hop the train to New York and absorb it all. In Clutter Gallery is a leading contemporary art gallery specializing in the vibrant world of designer toys and lowbrow art. Located in the artistic community of Beacon, New York (home to the world famous Dia museum), Clutter Gallery has established itself as a premier destination for collectors and enthusiasts alike. Since its inception in 2011, the gallery has been dedicated to showcasing the work of both established and emerging artists who push the boundaries of pop culture, street and low-brow art. In addition to its dynamic exhibitions, Clutter Gallery also houses an impressive permanent collection of Designer Toys, curated by the team behind its renowned print publication. This collection serves as a testament to the gallery’s deep-rooted connection to the designer toy movement and its commitment to preserving and celebrating this unique art form. Resin casting is a method of plastic casting where a mold is filled with a liquid synthetic resin, which then hardens. It is primarily used for small-scale production like industrial prototypes and dentistry. It can be done by amateur hobbyists with little initial investment, and has been appropriated for the production of collectible toys, models and figures, as well as small-scale jewelry production. The synthetic resin for such processes is a monomer for making a plastic thermosetting polymer. During the setting process, the liquid monomer polymerizes into the polymer, thereby hardening into a solid. “Curious Beasts” is a group cute critter creation exhibition.