The term Soft White Underbelly, attributed to Winston Churchill, refers to the

recognition of weak points in a subject or organization in the situation of battle. In this

exhibition Sofie Kjørum Austild, Richard Anderson, Gunner Dongieux, and Andrew Straub

establish tender points for cultural examination with pointed strokes of appropriation. Rather

than form a surrounding frontline, the artists direct their critiques of mass American cultural

through the scope of nostalgia and the American ideal, aiming in on a select set of pop culture

idols or “characters.” In their retelling of folk narratives, the artists employ replacements and

appropriations, minimizing the “idols” and “traditions” found in contemporary American

mythos. Projections of idols form new imprints and lasting impressions in the mind of the

viewer, while simultaneously unveiling our base inclinations in seeking nostalgia. (Escapism?

Comfort? Disgust? Embarrassment?)

Some of the depicted Idols are false idols, made to resemble “authentic” characters.

Some of the narratives surrounding these totems or cult figures are forged themselves.

Dongieux’s two works, Mister And Miss Lonely, present the faces of the two most prominent

American pop culture Icons, Marilyn Monroe & Michael Jackson. Sourced from the Harmony

Korine film “Mister Lonely,” Dongieux’s works follow two celebrity impersonators searching for

love and fulfillment, each using another’s identity to shield themselves from the grasp of

individual selfhood. Marilyn is seen day dreaming on top of a castle, starring into the distance,

only to see her idealized visage in the forest’s reflection.

Anderson’s work involves a former “America’s Largest Cross.” Now ranked as only the

4th largest, the alluring factor of credentials, the biggest and best, is lost. Cast into the

shadows by the newer bigger versions of itself, the idol returns to object. Symbolizing the the

transformation or the christian ideals of “what comes after”, there are flowers in the

background for its send off to the other side.

Austlid’s work examines nationalistic symbols in American idolatry. She captures the

largest hanging American flag on earth (because everything is bigger here) and the 2020 Super

Bowl coin-toss coin. The coin-toss represents perhaps the only departure in American sports

from “scoring the most,” its outcome reliant entirely on chance rather than talent and work

ethic.

Straub’s work functions as a “monument” to a false winner, a multiple world record

holder Billy Mitchell. Mitchell was the first to achieve the perfect score in Pac-Man, ultimately

unveiling a massive technical glitch at the end of the game. Thus creating this spectacle of

humans actually over coming or defeating technology itself. Later accusations of cheating

through emulation and score falsification lead Mitchell to be stripped of his high-score records.

Framing Mitchell’s end of game Pac-Man screen among a tangle of blank medals, Straub

questions the credentials of merit derived from idols.

​

- Andrew Straub