The window dressing outside of the fine arts building by Curt LeMieux and Marley Van Peebles was installed from Feb. 23 – March 8, 2025.
It is presented as a sequel of sorts to That Which Animates which is a recent two-person exhibition at Launch LA by the artists.
The installation is taking a new perspective on advertising, with the way it is reimagining the body with bold and unexpected forms.
At its center are large, stretched mannequins with human-animal features, dressed in custom clothing with unique patterns and hand-drawn designs.
It also had bulging eyes, swollen fingers, and dynamic limbs, the display challenges how we see and present bodies.
Director, James MacDevitt explained that this installation is their first attempt at moving their usually two-dimensional practice into a three-dimensional one.
“While also playing with the history of fantastical window displays that regularly appear in more traditionally retail environments, like shopping malls (hence the emphasis in this installation on their images displayed on t-shirts),” said MacDevitt.
Curt LeMieux shared the inspiration for this project.
“Marley and I have been making collaborative work together off and on for several years. We share a compulsion towards anthropomorphic and distorted human-like forms.
LeMieux continued, “We also like art that is somewhat awkward and lighthearted. So I think I’m a lot of ways we inspire each other,”
“For our show “That Which Animates” at Launch-LA, we printed a bunch of T-shirts via a sort of DIY screen printing process. With a sense of urgency and restlessness, we manipulated the T-shirts using drawing, appliqué and soft-sculpture techniques.”
“Ultimately attaching shapely and bulbous appendages and creating a set of rough and clumsy beings. That is the work now on view in the vitrine outside of the gallery.”
Moreover, speaking to LeMieux about what they hope that people or students might be able to take away from this project.
“Marley and I want people to have fun and to laugh a bit when looking at the work. We all live and work in media-saturated environments. Flashy imagery is everywhere enticing us with notions of convenience, entertainment, and satisfaction,” he explained.
The window dressing is something that catches the attention of students, the way that everything is placed and the overall look is something to make people curious.
The message within is something that feels almost unexpected, something that would be difficult to guess on the first try or at first glance.
LaMieux also explained why they feel students should be encouraged to take a look into window dressing from their perspective.
“Marley and I encourage young people to approach contemporary art with an open mind. As students, they should see as much art as humanly possible. They should talk with each other about what they see.
“They should formulate opinions and articulate criticisms. But above all, they should recognize that art is a language structure in and of itself,” he said.
“At best, it facilitates access to the esoteric and complex. Art allows people to lean into what is not immediately understood or familiar.
“Maybe the collaborative and lively nature of “You Are All Animals” will inspire art and design students on the Cerritos College campus to engage in creative processes that are experimental, playful, and communal,” LaMieux finished.
