St. Louis artist Renee Canetta is bringing a new exhibition, entitled The Anatomical Jewel, to High Low Gallery this weekend. The collection of bejeweled sculptures centers around issues of womanhood, misogyny, and identity in today’s society.
The exhibition will be on display during High Low’s normal café hours from August 10 to October 12. An opening reception will be held on August 10 from 5–7 p.m.
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“Someone walked in and said it’s like Alice in Wonderland meets Bridgerton, and I found that really interesting,” Canetta says. “It’s unexpected, colorful, and weird. People like to use ‘weird’ as an insult, but I find it to be a compliment.”
The series of 35 original sculptures are made of polymer or Monster Makers clay, sculpted on wood panels and covered in a clear epoxy coating. The sculptures are brightly colored and bedazzled with jewels and pearls. The exhibition’s name, The Anatomical Jewel, seems to allude to the sculptures’ bejeweled exteriors, but the name is actually a reference to the book Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio, which has a section entitled “The Anatomical Jewel.” Canetta’s art incorporates yonic imagery throughout the show.
While the majority of Canetta’s sculptures are on display in High Low’s main gallery space, she says some of her work will be displayed in the café. Other pieces that contain heavier subject matter will be in a smaller room nearby. Renee encourages guests to start in the main gallery and meander through, going “where your heart takes you.”
Canetta says the artwork on display deals with the reality of being a woman in today’s world: a world, she says, that expects women to act a certain way and punishes them for being “too fat,” “too loud,” or “too different.” More than that, she hopes the show is healing for those who have been affected by this cultural mindset.
“It can be very intense to live in the world we live in today,” Canetta says. “The reality of this world can be damaging to your psyche. I wanted to cover that sadness in jewels and shiny things, maybe to help soothe them—to say, ‘I understand this is hard, but something pretty can come out of it.’”
Canetta’s art has been exhibited in dual and joint shows around Granite City and St. Louis, but this will be her first solo exhibition—it’s a project that she has worked on for three years.
“I’ve been so hooked and focused on this idea that it almost felt like nothing could stop me,” Canetta says. She laughs, “It’s almost been a point of insanity.”
For more information, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org.
