Sicut describit per j. Zone
ARS NECRONOMICA 2024. A Portal into Bleakness and Wonder. Providence, RI: Providence Arcade. August 10-30, 2024.
I am sick of the old conventions,
… And critics who will not praise,
So sing ho for the open spaces,
… And aesthetes with kindly ways.
In between the partially cobbled streets of Westminster and Weybosset in downtown Providence stands a noble example of Greek Revival architecture birthed in 1828. The two flanks of this edifice facing those thoroughfares boasts six cyclopean Ionic columns measuring 45 feet high. These were quarried, then brought from eight miles away in Johnston, Rhode Island, over dirt roads by teams of oxen. The Providence, or Westminster Arcade, has been the home of Lovecraft Arts & Sciences since 2015, and this year it hosted the 2024 edition of Ars Necronomica.
The last time this reviewer was there, the inside of The Arcade was fairly empty besides the LA&S store and one other business. It was extremely heartening to see that was no longer the case, with new commercial ventures Hey Neighboring the Hub of RI Weird. There was no Artist Guest of Honor this year (Gou Tanabe had preemptively been profiled in the Con’s program book). And although a “fuller” exhibition than 2022 was promised initially, The Lovecraft Arts & Science Council had only invited a smaller group of 25 artists with just 40 pieces among them. In previous iterations of ARS, it had been the curators’ practice to reveal the originals of fine work done to promote the event. If done this year, that would have been originals by RI muralist Michael Ezzell and NJ’s finest Kurt Komoda, but those were not to be seen. And yet the show seemed stronger. The content of about half of the pieces was Lovecraftian, but the high quality of the work was more responsible for elevating the whole presentation to a level better than the previous.
Regulars contributing consisted of Nick Gucker who summoned “The Dweller Beyond The Threshold”, oozing forth midst an ichor of bejeweled acrylic; Liv Rainey-Smith (Without Whom It Wouldn’t Be ARS…) with her latest woodcut depicting “Humanity Uplifted”—by Mi-Go (as you do); Jason McKittrick resinating with “The Seal of Cthulhu”; Josh Yelle (Attendees were chuffed to see Thee Pencilmancer in full force after his early departure due to Covid in 2022) accompanied by “Biddy” in all her mixed media finery; and Mike Knives curating Cultist Couture with his window dressing of “Vvvfurrkgk, The Esteemed Vice-Regent Orator of The Nameless One”. Former Artist Guest of Honor Santiago Caruso returned with three works and provided a highpoint for me and others with his take on Clark Ashton Smith’s “Tale of Satampra Zeiros”. Other submissions included that by Matthew Jaffe (“The Death of Pan”, a gorgeous sepia composition illustrating the Lord Dunsany tale); the Expressionist stylings of Victoria Dalpe; and Gris-gris gathered by one of this year’s GoHs, Billy Martin.
In addition, were notable pieces by Ryan Lesser (“The Gate”, more resin) and Paul Barton (“Priest of Leng”, more ichor). The dark charcoal command of the aptly surnamed Brett Gray has been a mainstay of the horror scene for years and this year we were graced by his “Child of Cthulhu”. Jennifer Hrabota Lesser unleashed “The Acolyte”, a feral flipped version of the cultist that organizers were blessed to have represent the 2017 NecronomiCon campaign. Bob Eggleton, a true Son of Providence—who also is THE Kaiju Master—took sail in a sea of sumptuous oils ‘round a shard of R’lyeh in “Titanus Cthulhu”, an example proving that True Art by him and others like Caruso leaves even the concept of A.I. generated work unworthy for drydock. The artistry of Kelly Kotulak of Hibernacula Studios returned to the convention after she last submitted artwork to the 2015 Program Guide, with an “Alchemical Orchid” bringing a resplendent eldritch flash in its filigree. As a crowning touch, Gage Prentiss of The Rumtucket Trading Company had acquired the “Newman Cemetery Skull” in an East Providence estate sale and graciously loaned it to serve as a literal cornerstone to this year’s show. This relic alone attests to the continued aesthetic influence of Richard Upton Pickman’s oeuvre over the entire Commonwealth, down through the Rhode Island plantations…
While this edition of Ars Necronomica was not in either of the polished halls of The Providence Art Club or the Woods-Gerry, the “pop-up” gallery adjacent to Lovecraft Arts & Sciences no doubt reinforced commercial as well as convivial interests more easily in its café-like atmosphere. One could list, for example, a personal recommendation by Washington Post luminary and bookman Michael Dirda for a novel by Walter de la Mare. Or the banter with a former co-curator and artist over deshabille in convention deportment—the debate sweetened by baklava. This years’ Experience in The Divine City was comprised of many discussions, many conversations. Talk may have been cheap, but oh so priceless.
Here every bard is a genius,
… And artists are Raphaels,
And above the roofs of Patchin Place
… The Muse of Talent dwells.
—H. P. Lovecraft, Summer of 1935