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May 25, 2013
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Sweaters and slogans

 

continued



If you're apt to jump to conclusions, as I am, you might think from a distance that this show's a protest against economic globalism and third-world sweatshops. Or perhaps you'll catch sight of dollar signs and words like "sold" or "buy" that suggest an indictment of consumerism. But L.A.-based knitter, photographer, and conceptual artist Lisa Anne Auerbach tackles nearly as many topics and trends as she has sweaters.

Personal politics are the real fabric of the show. (The artist reportedly wears these outfits, which is why they're all her size.) Here you will see perhaps the world's only cheerleader-style sweater proclaiming "KEEP ABORTION LEGAL" across the bustline, complete with a megaphone graphic and a tiny Olive Oyl-looking figurine stomping bowlegged with fist raised. The back of the red-and-blue sweater says "CHEER FOR CHOICE." It's a fresh approach to a tired debate.

Levity tempers the approach to Smash Monogamy and Sell Art, Buy Shoes, as well as pieces promoting the neutering of feral cats, bike power, and presidential politics ("My Jewish Grandma Is Voting for Obama/Chosen People Choose Obama"). The tone turns darker in sweaters tolling deaths in Iraq and blasting the language of the War on Terror. Multiple versions of "Thank God I'm an Atheist" seem almost threatening, one warning on the back "Keep your church off my state." Other sweaters have cryptic images and text that leave you wondering if Auerbach's knitting machine went haywire and she liked the abstract result, or if she's getting at something you just can't grasp at a glance.

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