The age of myths and legends certainly didn’t come to an end with the advent of YouTube. In fact, artist Michael Wall’s latest series seems to point to the contrary. “GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME GNOME” is a series that spans sculpture, painting, and digital animation and explores the tools of mythmaking and storytelling in contemporary society. Wall uses the subject from a 2008 YouTube video “Gnome in Argentina” as a faceless fluid form throughout. The risograph prints of the series are duplicative in nature and embrace converging ages of storytelling of which a “Gnome” character is the subject, from folklore to cryptozoology through contemporary CreepyPasta. The series reflects Wall’s continued interest in myth-making and urban legend. Indeed, the viewer is left with a curiosity about the series’ protagonist, an amalgamation of simplified forms. “Where have I seen this figure before?” One might ask. And, “Will I see it again?”
