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"Hunter Gatherer": Jason Villegas at Receiver Gallery

By Traci Vogel

Published on November 11, 2008 at 2:31pm

Get ready to feel bad about laughing at Jason Villegas' work, because it's not clear whether it's kosher to do so, but you won't be able to keep from snickering. In one painting, a robust man has the head of a sad cartoon rabbit. His pants are pulled down, he wears black briefs, and a rainbow spills from his crotch. Why does the crotch rainbow make him sad? In another work, a thick pink cloth appendage droops from a closet-sized swatch of fabrics attached to the wall. Is it the sexual monster in the closet from our childhood? A stylish and ravenous gas pump? The Brooklyn-based Villegas often mixes his R-rated Looney Tunes sense of humor with playful plush-fabric gore, especially in his digital and stop-motion videos. For "Hunter Gatherer," Villegas gives full leash to his interest in mythical beasts, turning the gallery into a pile-on of hungry creatures. After all, "I grew up on Thundercats and Doritos," he says in his YouTube profile. Something else you should know: "I like chubby dudes." With chest hair. We can bear it.