Local artist Maria Forde is a master of depicting the awkward side of the human psyche. In the past, her delicate renderings captured her family and friends offering nuggets of advice in the series Advice Portraits, such as "Don't scrape off a scab or you will get Blood-Poisoning". In her Wigs zine, Forde's quirky, keen eye lovingly examines humanity's obsession with wigs, while other self-published art depicts Marlon Brando's struggles, before he was fat and weird, in a goofy, poignant comic series named after the acting legend.
Her latest works, done using intaglio and collagraph, are a reimagining of the some of the wildest feats found in Guinness Book of World Records. Says Forde, "When I was a kid, I carried around a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records. I remember showing my mom or dad a photo and just yelling out some information about how fast or tall or strong someone was. It got me all excited, or it grossed me out."
Forde's prints honor such accomplishments as the world record for standing up the longest, or the fastest kisser on earth, all reminding us that it's the little achievements that carry us through life. Catch all the wonderful weirdness of her art on display in her new show World Records, at the Curiosity Shoppe this Friday.
Opens Friday, January 14th, from 6-9 pm at the Curiosity Shoppe, 855 Valencia St., (415) 671-5384
