Exhibitions

BEKKI VADEN-OTTINGER: MEOW MEOW CITY

The Central Collective / 923 N Central St. February 7, 2020 - February 8, 2020

Bekki Vaden-Ottinger

Bekki Vaden-Ottinger is a self-taught mixed media artist and miniaturist. Her newest work combines nearly every skill she’s picked up along the way to bring you what she describes as “a place that long existed in my head as a sort of intensely bright and happy escape tunnel from the darkening world around me.”

Largely constructed of materials destined for the dumpster or the donation pile, MeowMeow City is a large-scale fantasy diorama, populated by “kiddies” (4” tall beings with fruit shaped heads) and a host of wide-eyed animals that seem to enjoy their jobs in public transportation.

“My friend’s mother gave me giant trash bags full of all kinds of floral supplies she was getting rid of. There was a bunch of plastic fruit in one bag and I decided to make dolls out of them. They feel like my buddies. Visitors would see them sitting on my bookshelves and ask me where they came from. I could see their home so clearly in my mind and I just wanted to see if I could see it in front of me without having to close my eyes.”

“The entire process of putting it all together was joyfully overwhelming. I’ve come to realize that MeowMeow City is no longer my escape. It’s more of an entrance. It’s where I found the long-lost kid in me...and she’s wearing her favorite dress and having the time of her life catching a piggy-back ride on a turtle!”