Rogues’ Gallery

Overview

The adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” applies here. Starting with old mugshots of Gilded Age criminals, Cronin and Ayres pull these thieves, forgers, pickpockets, swindlers, pennyweights, sneaks, and confidence men out of history and deposit them into alternate contexts. Dressed in petticoats, velvet collars, wool overcoats, bowler hats and vests, these figures of the underworld are almost indistinguishable to the modern eye from the bourgeoise of their day. Without knowing who they were or what they did, they appear benign and genteel, betraying little of their malevolent pasts. The distance of history makes it even more difficult to know who these people really were.

These books have covers that question the relationship between appearances, ulterior motives, and the perception of reality and truth.

About the Artist

See/Hear Now Pop-Up Enterprises Worldwide is the working title for the curatorial efforts of artists Derek Ayres and Shannon Cronin. See/Hear Now has won three back-to-back Philadelphia Fringie Awards for Visual Arts for their exhibitions "Plein Air Guitar" in 2021 and "Forever Never Lasts" in 2022, and "Best Laid Plans" in 2023. For the 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, See/Hear Now is pleased to be back to offer a Cronin/Ayres collaborative show, "Rogue's Gallery".

Rogues' Gallery Exhibition Artists:

Shannon Cronin, a painter of representational works in watercolor with forays into fiber arts, lives in East Falls Philadelphia.
More at: www.shannoncroninart.com & IG @shannon_cronin_art

Derek Ayres, a sculptor, painter, and musician, lives in Philadelphia.
More at: www.derekayres.com & IG @derek_ayres_art