Jackie Felix (1929-2009 )

Felix's Reel Love Series (1987-1988) plays off sexual and violent imagery from films that mock the concept of real love by its fake entertainment business or underground seediness. The Reel Love Series triptych subtitled moon Over Malibu substitutes a glaring yellow ceiling spotlight for the moon; its beam is colorless in the third panel. On the left, a man in a straightjacket hangs threateningly from the ceiling over a body of water. On the right two men embrace in what looks like a still from a black & white porn film. The merging of disjunctive elements raises questions about American homophobia and the suppression of gay rights. -Nancy Weekly