Gum blondes: something to chew over

[catatoniaone]

Jason Kronenwald
at LE Gallery


Here's Hillary Clinton, gazing with bland affability into the middle distance, her smile gleaming like a toothpaste ad, her heart full of hope. She looks wholesome enough to eat - which makes a certain amount of sense, given that her portrait is made entirely of chewing gum.

The Hillary portrait is just one of 15 chewing-gum portraits by artist Jason Kronenwald making up his cheeky new exhibition at Toronto's always cheeky LE Gallery. The exhibition is called A Fresh Pack of Gum Blondes and offers masticated portraits of flaxen-haired, pop-cultural icons such as Madonna, Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie (represented here twice, but only as pairs of rich, full, disembodied lips), Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Anne Nicole Smith, a twinned portrait of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (out on the town together, up to no good), as well as a few affectionate backward looks in the direction of Twiggy, Princess Diana, Charlotte Rampling and Jane Fonda as Barbarella.

The portraits are listed not by name (you're supposed to recognize everyone) but rather by number. The Hillary Clinton portrait, for example, is Gum Blonde LIII. Kronenwald and I talked on the phone a couple of days ago.

globeandmail.com: Gum blondes: something to chew over

[Claudia]

Ah yeah, i had seen that a few years ago. Wonder if there's new ones.

[rockpit]

Wonder which pic Av will be portrayed with...

[catatoniaone]

Have you seen it ? is there a pic

[Ivan Galliver]

He must be stuck for something better to do..

[catatoniaone]

^^ HOHO

[tinkril]

hahah cool

[rock_steady]

lol
nice

[catatoniaone]

Vote it up!
Gum Blondes: Avril Lavigne