The UNO St. Claude Gallery in New Orleans presents “Trinkets, Baubles, & Ephemera: This Will Look Real Good On Your Shelf,” an exhibit by MFA student Kjelshus Collins that opens Saturday, May 14.
 
By utilizing a variety of media, Collins’ thesis exhibit will explore the realm of simulacra and consumerism. Pieces made from casting, traditional printmaking and a menagerie of ceramics will be shown throughout the St. Claude Gallery.

Among the works will be a series of humorous ceramic vessels dubbed “Requinware,” a nod to the French word for shark. These pottery pieces have been glazed with an exaggerated shark mouth and eyes similar to the nose art of warplanes and surfboards. Collins has described this as a type of humorous “social graffiti” and abstract masking, war paint for the cupboard.

In addition to these vessels, a number of large ceramic sculptures and face jugs also will be on display throughout the gallery.

Other pieces will be related to the artist-designed toy genre made popular in East Asia and the American coasts of the past two decades. These works are handmade from polymers and ceramics and satirically touch on ancient and modern society. Linocut printing has been used as the packaging for some of these pieces.

All works will be for sale directly from the artist.

An opening reception will be held on May 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the UNO St. Claude Gallery, 2429 St. Claude Avenue. Regular gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.