Paine offers up entomologist's dream with the ‘Other Side’

A new one-of-a-kind exhibit at the Paine, “The Other Side,” features a unique artistic medium that is as fascinating as it is uncanny. The creator of the exhibition and Professor of Textile Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jennifer Angus, uses exotic insects to create intricate patterns and stunning displays of creatures that are often seen as frightening. The first time she saw bugs as more than just a nuisance was when she came across them featured in clothing.

“I was doing research in northern Thailand on tribal dresses,” she said. “I came upon a shawl that comes from the Karen tribe, and strung on the fringe were green metallic beetle wings. I thought they were so beautiful, and frankly, I had never really thought of insects as being beautiful other than butterflies. I became kind of obsessed with them.”

photo by Claire Garton

Insects are arranged in swarm patters. Angus hopes visitors at the exhibit will walk away with a new appreciation for bugs.

The concept of combining bugs and artwork didn’t cross Angus’s mind until later, but immediately it was a perfect merging of two things she was passionate about.

“One day, I had this ‘aha’ moment where I decided to blend my interests,” she said. “I decided to take the insects and put them in patterns. I don’t know exactly why; it just seemed like the right thing to do. As soon as I installed the first exhibition, I understood the power of it.”

Angus appreciates the benefits bugs provide the earth and ecosystems all over, so she ensures when collecting her insects that she does so in a humane way.

“The insects that you see in the exhibition at the Paine have been acquired over a period of more than 20 years in small increments,” she said. “The insects are reused from exhibition to exhibition, and when at all possible, I use farmed insects.”

Laura Fiser, curator of collections and exhibitions at the Paine, enjoys Angus’ work and was extremely excited to host her exhibit in the Paine’s elegant rooms.

“I’ve been familiar with her work for many years now, and I’ve encountered her installations before,” she said. “They’re always beautiful, but also mind blowing in their scale and detail, pattern, and ornamentation. Upon seeing her work at the museum, I could visualize it at the Paine.”

Fiser made sure Angus had the freedom of making many of the decisions for her display regarding the paint color, patterns on the wall, and lighting.

“Jennifer creates site specific installations,” Fiser said. “A couple years ago, she started brainstorming and working on her designs for the space. This project, more so than other projects, stems from the artist almost entirely. We gave her the blank slate and she went from there and designed it herself.”

A lot of thought on Angus’s part went behind the title of the exhibit, and how it relates to the current times.

“I think of the expression, ‘it’s always greener on the other side,’” she said. “Before COVID-19, we never appreciated the freedom we had a year ago. That side is definitely greener. Sadly, we’re now losing friends and family, and it’s a common expression to say, ‘see you on the other side.’”

Different people will view Angus’s exhibit in different ways; not only did Angus accept this, she leaned into it.

“There is a tension between what we think we know and understand, and the thing we fear,” she said. “For a long time, I played with what I call compulsion; the pattern of the exhibit draws us in, and then there’s a sort of repulsion that happens as we discover what the designs are made out of. We associate insects with being dirty and disease-carrying, but my thinking about them has evolved over time.”

Walking through the exhibit has been a magical experience for Fiser, and it transports visitors to a different place for a little while.

photo by Claire Garton

An exotic insect is posed in Angus’s display. Angus is very careful when collecting insects to ensure the longevity of their natural habitats.

“The ‘Other Side’ is like stepping through the looking glass,” she said. “It’s like you’re in a world where animals and insects can talk, and you’re the bug’s size and the houses are way taller and you’re seeing the exhibition from a bug’s point of view. Jennifer is really a storyteller at heart.”

Uniqueness and variety of the creations in the community is important to art teacher Jason Ryf because it makes artwork a place for everyone to express themselves.

“It opens up the opportunities for people because some people have a narrow view of what art is, that it’s only drawing and painting,” he said. “But there’s photography, ceramics, sculpting, nature, bug stuff, there’s all sorts of things people do. It gives people more of an opportunity to be artistic in their area, not just painting and drawing.”

Angus’ biggest wish is that people will leave her exhibit with a new appreciation for insects, and look at them in a new light.

“I think we don’t have many moments of amazement because we live at such a fast pace and information is at our fingertips,” she said. “My hope is people will simply leave the exhibition thinking about insects differently. When you encounter them in your everyday life, whether it’s outside or inside, think about who was there first, and how we can coexist. The insects are here for a reason.”

No matter what one’s preconceived notions about bugs are, Angus encourages everyone to visit the display and experience the breathtaking patterns.

“If you’re willing to try, you’re going to come away with a very special experience,” she said. “You’ll come thinking it’ll be a cool show, and then you leave thinking deeper about insects and how important they are to us.”

by Abby Furcy

Published March 25, 2021

Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue VI