Mutts and Goodboys - a solo exhibition by Mark Zubrovich

Mutts and Goodboys, 6/7/19 - 6/28/19

“In this other world, they have little restraint and act upon their desires. Sometimes it's to grope and prod and sniff. Sometimes it's to cry, scream, or attack. Their animal characteristics show through. They unabashedly show intense emotion and enact those emotions without apprehension” - Zubrovich

My work is a synthesis of several material practices centered around a singular alternate universe of anthropomorphic baseball-obsessed dog-people.The work I’ve made here in Pittsburgh has been heavily influenced by the intense energy of the city’s sports fandom. My artwork primarily hangs on the visual and cultural framework of baseball, and feeds off the fervent homo-social energy (and wealth of androphilic sexual euphemisms) that come with it. My focus here has been mainly off the field and in the nosebleeds, shifting my queer lens from the experience of the dog-players to the experience of the dog-fans. Strong, intense emotion comes hand in hand with fandom, and these pups are unashamed to put their candid emotions on display. From brand loyalty and pride in your team colors, to crushing on their favorite player, to wanting vengeance for the team when they fall. I’ve made a series of paintings, embroideries, and soft sculptures that bring this universe into our 3 dimensions, and explores how these pups might go about displaying their pride.

Mark Zubrovich (b.1992) is a New York based artist born on Long Island. He graduated with his BFA from SUNY Purchase in 2015. He shows with Deli Grocery Gallery in Queens NY, and has recently shown at Tiger Strikes Asteroid and Agency Gallery in Brooklyn, Abrams Art Center in Manhattan, and the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson VT. He is the current artist in residence at Bunker Projects in Pittsburgh, PA, and will be the artist in residence at the James Black Gallery in Vancouver, BC later this summer. He doesn’t own any dogs of his own, but dearly misses his cat Skittles.