Homebodies No. 4 – Alana Berglund

Homebodies No. 4 – Alana Berglund

For the series Homebodies, we will explore the more personal spaces of community members, the artworks and interesting objects they’ve collected through the years, and how those pieces live with them every day. During quarantine, we’ll have the Holland staff kick things off! Here’s one with Alana Berglund and some of the artworks/stories in her & Austin Pratt’s home.

1. Gwen Stefani portrait by Omar Pierce I purchased from a UNR Valentine’s auction. Holland peeps will recognize the drawing, I think the same used for a 400 Blows + Elephant Rifle show at HP in 2011. Hanging above our “tussie mussie” vintage bells.

2. Austin and I own a lot of ceramic skulls, babies and hearts that lie around as incense holders and also yard art. Recognizable as molds frequently used by artists we love such as Edw Martinez and Richard Jackson.

3. Large scale painting, “Search Party” circa 2012 by Austin that hangs behind our dining/puzzle table. Puzzle is “Luck Be a Lady”, lended to me by Rosie. The painting actually owned by our roomie, Julian.

4-5. I’ve been lugging this Ashley Westwood painting around (including cross country) for ten years now. House guests have a love/scared relationship with it. I love the frame (made by artist Jon Purtill) and there’s a fabulous drip of purple on the left (accident maybe?) that really makes the painting. A portrait of our cat Foot Foot hangs next to the hyena. Beautifully done in colored pencil by Esther Samuels Davis out of Berlin. He’s very much alive, but the drawing has kind of memorial vibes. RIP Foot Foot.

6. Groupings of favorite small objects. Top Shelf – Sculpture by Dominique Palladino of the Virgin Mary with an intestine “condom” from H(i)erarchy in 2012, has caramelized over the years; Wind Mill candle by Japanese based Olga Goose Candle; small vessel by Enchanted Life Goods/the amazing ATL duo Erin Jane Nelson and Jason Benson; small ceramic with penis by Anthony Renda gifted to Austin. Lower Shelf – collection of breast-like ceramics (one Fresno souvenir from friend Christian Vargas, one shell vase found in Knoxville, one Reno souvenir from an old gift shop that shut down); hand-carved wooden foot with extended toe incense burner; fleshy ceramic bud vase by Michelle Laxalt. Sprinkled in are handmade horse ornaments from Dragon Spring and lead burros.

7. Portraits of Austin and I by our dear friend Michelle Lassaline during various performances over the years that were recently (unprofessionally) framed together. I’ve been drawn once as a naked mole rat and once as a fancy silky chicken. Austin is depicted as a crooning crow as well as an ibex.

8. Unfortunately, a lot of my absolute favorite works are still unframed. I pull these out maybe every couple weeks or so to just think about how I should frame them. But we all know frames are cost prohibitive, I’d rather spend my money on the art. Pictured here, print of a painting by Shay Semple, chicken feet by Eunkang Koh, incredible drawing by Jon Purtill framed by a fleshy piece of leather, pencil drawing by Thomas J. Gamble, and a drawing by Michael Sarich.

9-10. As a household, we sometimes like to group artworks by a theme. From top to bottom, Lone Ranger by Tom Wixo, Mayhem by Ryan Young, and a piece from Sad Habit at HP by Jake Graves. To the right, one of our Nevada popes by Richard Jackson (same mold as yard art).

11. I’m obsessed with an axe of thin metal pipe my friend Doug Dorman made during undergrad (barely visible on top shelf). I always hang it in the kitchen when I move. Sprinkled in throughout the plants are two ceramic pigeons Austin purchased from Joan Arrizabalaga and a poppy flower painting my mom picked up from Brooke Brazil at High Desert Art+Craft.

12. Our diptych by Henry MacDiarmid (from EVAPORATION at HP, 2018) usually keeps our guests company, but at the moment is helping our seedlings grow (in addition to 18 hours of KWNK 97.7FM).

13. Very peaceful painting by Tom Wixo above cat resting place. 

14. Southern Nevada artist Suzanne Hackett-Morgan gifted me this painting in 2013 after her show at the Nevada Arts Council. It’s called “If I Am Dead You Will Know What Happened” and it’s of Benny Binion’s coffin. Binion was an “American gambling icon and career criminal” out of Las Vegas and the title of this painting tells it all.

15. Detail of a piece by Anthony Arevalo from his show at the Hub in 2014, Trophy Hunter. Still one of the best shows and I want to see all that work again! 

16. Many of Christian Vargas’ ceramics live throughout our home. These “two-faced saints” are a portrait of Batman on one side and “Narco-Saint/Angel of the Poor” Jesús Malverde on the other. They’re all unique, ranging from super tight & refined to almost destroyed.

17. I wanted to include these pieces that are now viewable during most Zoom meetings (shot through webcam because its appropriate). Fabric collage piece on the left by NOLA based artist Sophia Belkin, painting on the right is our friend Jing Qin. I really hope to collect more works by each of these artists.

18. Now finally, these are the pieces Austin and I see during these said Zoom meetings. One the left is a 2008 Jered Sprecher who was a professor of Austin’s at UT Knoxville and on the right is LA based Jean Nagai, so happy I was able to make payments to nab a work by him. 

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