Howling Jackals | Micah Rustichelli

Howling Jackals is an exhibition of dichotomies; beauty and destruction, sacrifice and redemption, faith and hopelessness, god and godlessness, ice and fire, and blue and red. Micah Rustichelli has created an installation that explores the days after the rapture through provocative symbology and biblical themes that would make a theology professor blush. Hosted as part of the Backbone Festival, the exhibition consists of a plethora of canvas pieces displayed on walls and columns that invoke the feeling of entering a cathedral.

Image + cover image: Jade Ellis

The most eye-catching aspect of the exhibition is its use of light. Spotlights have been set up that periodically switch between blue, red and white light. As the light shifts, the secrets of each canvas are illuminated. Under contrasting lights, each composition appears transformed. For example, what was once a depiction of Jesus now shows a wolf, and then under white light, both share the canvas. This effect is achieved through the heavy use of blue and red throughout the art allowing the lights to obscure certain aspects while highlighting others. The first time you experience it is shocking, as details appear and fade before your eyes.

The works deal with themes of the apocalypse and the rapture. I am sure I missed some of the symbolism in the display, as each piece drew heavily from mythology, art history, occultism, and theology. Images of the creation of Adam, the fallen angel, Atlas, the seven-eyed lamb, and more create a foreboding atmosphere that challenges conceptions of the end times. One aspect that stood out was the ongoing shifts from the red-hot fires of hell to the blue and cold pits of despair. The use of light allowed for further depth to be discovered in the art as the mood of the exhibition shifted constantly.

Image: Jade Ellis

I was lucky enough to attend the show on its opening night. The exhibition was accompanied by eerie noise and music that added to the overall apocalyptic atmosphere. Genuinely unique, however, was the live painting from the artist Micah Rustichelli. Two large red canvases had been fixed to columns for Rustichelli to adorn with blue paint. But rather than pick up a brush, a sizeable spear-like paintbrush had been tied to their back with rope. The live painting session continued with Rustichelli bending down almost in prayer as they moved between the two canvases with their brush protruding over their head.

Howling Jackals is the type of exhibition I love, creative, wholly unique, and deeply provocative. I spent a great deal of time studying each piece as they underwent a metamorphosis before my eyes. I hope Rustichelli continues to explore dualities, and I look forward to their next instalment.