El Destructo’s Atomic Circus
Opening July 14 at Secret Studios, Columbus Ohio. Through August.
From a young age, I was mesmerized by the idea of being in a circus. My grandfather bragged about being a roustabout for Clyde Beatty Circus in the 1930s and all the adventures he had. Also, once a year small traveling circuses would come to my village. They would unload a circus train full of wild animals, trapeze artists and clowns on a vacant lot on the south side of town. There was magic, mystery, and wonder in these one-ring circuses. The idea that I could run away and belong to one of these menageries was enticing.
Even at a young age, I sensed that something was not quite right. When I saw Browning’s Freaks(1932) and Goulding’s Nightmare Alley(1948) with the VHS boom in the 1980s, my inclinations were realized. There was a seedy, dirty underbelly in these traveling shows. The circus crew tended to be wayward people just staying ahead of what ever they were running from. In 1984 a crew of carnies attempted to steal my buddy Lenny’s car after a night at the bars. My grandfather’s hubris also came to light. He was a conniver, a liar, and an abuser. The spectacle of a circus life and adventure crumbled.
El Destructo’s Atomic Circus is my coming to terms with the wonders of being a child and the realization that so much of the mystery is a facade full of anti-truths and exaggerations. There is a darkness in each of these pieces, but also childlike wonder. We all have personal circuses that we ringlead and manage. This is my circus.
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