‘Don’t Shoot Me Down’ provokes powerful emotions through art

When photographer Bernard Fallon hears the word “shoot,” he typically thinks of a camera, but with his piece “Click, Click,” Fallon creatively illustrates the world of a photographer whose work is strongly influenced by gun violence. Photo by Grace Dietz

Grace Dietz

Executive Arts Editor

ShockBoxx’s latest exhibit, “Don’t Shoot Me Down,” engages viewers with the relevant topic of gun violence but fails to provide multiple perspectives in the gallery.

The “Don’t Shoot Me Down,” Sept. 1 and 2 popup show presented vibrant and diverse artwork, but the ideas of gun reform behind the pieces lacked diverse viewpoints, which made the gallery one dimensional and unoriginal.

The gallery included pieces that highlight the National Rifle Association (NRA) and United States Congress’s failure to protect citizens from gun violence in public schools nationwide, as over 230 school shootings have occurred in the past 20 years.

The art gallery supports gun control campaigns, such as March for Our Lives and the Brady Campaign, both of which protest gun violence and demand gun reform. The exhibition featured artistic mediums including sculptures, acrylic paintings, water color paintings, cross stitch embroidery and collages.

The exhibition visually appealed to viewers with a variety of reflective depictions of gun violence in America. Unlike other exhibits that ShockBoxx has previously hosted, “Don’t Shoot Me Down” incorporated a greater variety of art, including links to videos through QR codes, more sculptures, three-dimensional pieces of art and cross stitchings of celebrities assassinated with guns. The pieces allowed spectators to see the need for gun reform in America, as countless citizens have died due to gun violence.

Bernard Fallon’s scuplture, “Click, Click,” cleverly demonstrated the topic of gun violence using cameras. In this context, the word “shoot,” which is prominently featured above a target, applies to both guns and cameras. Fallon’s haunting choice to glue old cameras to a human target in a gun range makes his piece extremely powerful and personal. Fallon explained on a notecard next to the potrait that he was a victim of an armed robbery himself.

Chia Schuler’s painting, “Checked Out” focuses on the devastating effect that gun violence in America has on children. In the painting, a little boy reads a Pokémon book, and hanging on a wall behind him, papers displaying gun violence and world catastrophes are present. Schuler’s intricate painting shows the chaotic world in which children live in and how gun violence is eroding their innocence.

One of the most heartbreaking and profound pieces was “From Columbine to Parkland” by Ellen Cantor. The piece included a list of shootings that have occurred in America since the Columbine shooting in 1999. The list took up a full wall in the gallery, powerfully examining the extent of gun culture in America and analyzing the number of shootings that have unfortunately occurred since Columbine.

Although “Don’t Shoot Me Down” included a myriad of pieces, the discussion over gun control presented through the pieces was entirely one-sided, lacking diverse perspectives. The exhibit focused entirely on criticizing the NRA, but none of the pieces actually brought attention to other causes of shootings in America, such as the mental illnesses that the shooters often have. Due to this narrow-minded thinking, the exhibit seemed entirely shallow and biased.

ShockBoxx’s latest exhibit included many intense artworks, but it failed to cover all aspects of gun reform in America. Nevertheless, the gallery incorporated immensely creative and genuine pieces of art.

ShockBoxx is located at 636 Cypress Ave in Hermosa Beach. For information on future art exhibits and sales, visit www.shockboxxproject.com.