As Valentine's Day draws ever-nigh, Tacoma's resident Valentine's grumps plot to overthrow the day of love. Kendra Breeden and Stuart M. Dempster of Treefish Studio like to frame their "Tacomapocalypse" as an art show at Amocat Cafe, but the truth is each year this dynamic duo strives to fill Tacoma with zombies and other great evils, to make us all pay for their distaste of V-Day.
"We do find Valentine's Day to be a wretched and detestable excuse for a holiday," says Dempster. "In our society, being alone on this most artificial and saccharin of Holy days truly can feel like the End of the World. Singles are made to feel diseased and inferior, utterly inadequate as human beings. Even as couples, we are judged against the classical romantic ideal; and being human, we invariably fall short. Perhaps Zombie St. Valentine will return for revenge during our opening event."
"Tacomapocalypse" is now in its third year, morphing just a tad with each incarnation. The first "Tacomapocalypse" focused on zombies and destruction. The second took a tongue-in-cheek look at the end of the world. "Tacomapocalypse III" in turn is centered on what has lived through the end of days and what that recovery might look like.
"We're going for darkly positive, instead of positively dark, you might say," says Dempster.
So if you need a little boost getting over your end-of-the-world fretting from last year, think of "Tacomapocalypse" as a little bit of unconventional therapy.
The show opens at Amocat Café Friday, Feb. 1 and will remain up through the month.
Don't miss the opening reception from 5-9 p.m. Feb. 1. The electronic musical stylings of local musician Gibson Starkweather will rock the walls of Amocat. Technophobic Android will also make a special appearance. Keeping with the theme of post-apocalyptic survival, part of the opening festivities will include a Best Survivor Costume contest around 7:30 p.m. First prize will be a miniature painting entitled "Zombies Ate My Brain (but I got better)." Be creative. Think about how you might look if you'd lived through a zombie apocalypse - perhaps you're the hero, perhaps you're half-chewed. Choose your own adventure.
In years past, there has been such madcap madness as zombie flash mobs. One never knows when such zombie hoards might descend upon one's art show, but Dempster makes a promise this year: "I can personally guarantee that there will be zombies dancing," he says. "Weather willing, re-animants will writhe wretchedly without and within."
Of course, an art show must also have art. Dempster and Breeden will both have art at the show.
"We are joined by several other artists, some repeat offenders from previous ‘TacPox' shows, and some brand spanking new ones that we are proud to have aboard," says Dempster. "I'm a little superstitious about publishing names beforehand, but I can say that I am loving the way so many of these new pieces really seem to come out to meet and embrace the audience."
Given the nature of this show, embracing the audience may or may not be a good thing. Humans beware!
A list of artists will be published to the event's Facebook page Jan. 31.
AMOCAT CAFÉ, "TACOMAPOCALYPSE III," FEB. 1-28, 625 SAINT HELENS AVE., TACOMA, 253.242.3370
Read Comments