Roses are red;
Violets are blue.
Art collective makes
Valentine’s debut.
The art collective Secret Ingredient seeks to shock, awe and expand the conventional definitions of complex emotions in their show “The Art of Love + Hate” tonight at the Inferno.
Daniel Edwards, leader and driving force behind the collective, describes tonight’s exhibit as what happens when “burlesque dancers and computer programmers [come together] in the same room.”
Secret Ingredient formed in an effort to allow artists to put their time, money and talent toward a common effort while embracing what some deem as under-appreciated art, like graffiti.
“A lot of us were in a collective called Firecracker Studios. They have since taken a hiatus,” Edwards said. “There were a bunch of artists I knew that were sitting around twiddling their thumbs, artists who have been influenced by lowbrow style. I came up with a show I was going to do solo. I started asking around to see if others wanted to get involved.”
Edwards speaks highly of his fellow artists, saying, “There’s definitely some heavy hitters. These are people that have dedicated themselves to it. They aren’t doing this for a hobby.”
Though they have only begun to collaborate in the past two months, Edwards attributes much of the collective’s success to the progressive, local art environment.
“Madison’s great. It’s a Mecca in Wisconsin for art. Milwaukee is the only other place that I’m aware of that has any kind of a scene. There are many great artists in this town,” Edwards said.
The exhibit bears Cupid’s unmistakable touch with a twist.
“The theme of the show is love and hate. It’s the theme we’re all working under,” Edwards said. “Some people are working under the theme very literally, others very loosely. I will be interested to see how far people take that. There may be some work throughout the show that people may have a hard time with. I think that it’s a really rich territory for artists to work under. What’s been more of an impetus for art than falling in love or having your heart broken?”
Secret Ingredient strives to push the conceptual boundaries of art while encouraging inventive interpretations and the sheer appreciation of art.
“At a Firecracker show people said, ‘Tell me the meaning behind the painting.’ I said, ‘It doesn’t matter what it means to me, it matters what it means to you.'”
The show promises fodder for limitless interpretations. “I hope that we amaze a lot of people,” Edwards said.
In addition to screen-print, illustration, painting, sculpture, photography, stained-glass, installation pieces and extra-sensory performances, Al Ritchie will salute the holiday by spinning retro love songs with performances by Bri and Her Big Shirt, Shane Shane and Terrior Bute as the evening unfolds. The collective hopes to elevate performance art to a whole new level by projecting live digital images onto dancers during the exhibition.
“I can tell you that the performance stuff may blow a few minds,” Edwards laughs.
He acknowledges the advantage of hosting the show at the Inferno, saying, “It’s a great venue. You can have a really good time. I can’t think of a better place to have an art show [than] at a bar.”
The collective hopes to draw a diverse crowd to the show.
“I expect it’s a young crowd, a crowd that’s familiar with art. The crowd will be there for lot of different reasons. Some people will be there to rock out and have fun with the bands,” Edwards said.
The music will create an energetic atmosphere for the art.
“I want to go there and have a good time with lots of music, lots of people and cool things on the walls to look at,” said Edwards. “It adds to the feel of it.”
The artists of Secret Ingredient have marketed the show in the same way they do art.
“We put things out there that will stop people in their tracks,” Edwards said.
The future no doubt holds exciting opportunities, potentially involving film and animation, for this renegade art collective.
“I want to get more performance people involved. I don’t think that art shows have to be limited to paintings on the wall,” Edwards said. “My goal is to create an environment where there’s creativity going on everywhere. Ultimately I think that’s where we’re going to go.”
Edwards discusses the confidence of the artists in the collective.
“To make the kind of art we’re making is kind of a thankless profession. If you spend three weeks on a painting, and someone says, ‘Hey dude, I like the color,’ and walks away, it’s a lonely path to pick. The real satisfaction is that you accomplish what you want to accomplish.”
Check out “The Art of Love + Hate” tonight February 12th at the Inferno. The exhibition begins at 9 p.m. with performances to follow with a $5 dollar suggested donation.
