BOO! Images of the Macabre

October 5, 2013 - January 26, 2014

In time for Halloween, the KIA reveals its most spooky and unnerving works from the darkest corners of the vault. Why are we so attracted to images of the macabre? Exploring our fears inspires a quickening of the pulse and heightens our awareness of the mysteries of life–and death. Psychologist Carl Jung wrote that the artist’s role is to give expression to the shadow side of humankind, which usually dwells below the level of consciousness. He advocated forcing shadows into the light in order to master dark impulses and maintain a healthy balance. Engage your subconscious through art that explores eerie landscapes, creepy creatures, ghostly figures, and other mysterious intersections of reality and imagination.

Luis Jimenez, Self-Portrait, 1996, soft ground etching, multiplates
Miriam Beerman, Gypsy Moth, ca. 1972, oil on paper Federico Castellon, Poseidon's Friend, 1963, lithograph Nick Bubash, Human Knot, 2000, lithograph Kathe Kollwitz, Death, Mother and Child, 1910, etching