Art: Amanda Checco at Park and Vine

Park and Vine is currently decked out with Amanda Checco’s digital artwork in an exhibition called !YEYEAH! that weaves its way throughout the eco-friendly market. These works join the 140-square-foot mural that Checco is creating in the store, a work in progress over the past several months. The Miami University graduate’s fantasy world is a high camp fusion of ghetto-fabulous Hip Hop discotheques, Eastern influences and ultra-femme embellishment. Each photographic collage is a cultural festival, calling to mind the glamorous kitsch of French artist Pierre et Gilles, the intricate decorations of Indian art and the electrifying color palette of shopping-mall pop culture. Within these mash-ups, Checco ranges from the socially conscious to the irreverently absurd. Along one wall, she dreams of gay marriage through glittering, gender-bending ceremonies, while on the opposite, two bratwursts are seen visiting the Taj Mahal while wearing cupcakes for hats. Affectionate odes to the artist’s cat, Kittenpants, appear throughout the series of prints. Digital collage is Checco’s playground and a mélange of global pop culture is her toy box.