Rick Castro: FERAL
This collection of images was taken at ConFURence 9, in Buena Park, California, 1998.
The furry fandom owes its history to the original sci-fi conventions of the late 1940s.
Inspired by Orson Wells radio presentation, (1938) of HG Wells novel, War of the Worlds, (1897) a plethora of sci-fi, books, stories, comics and films flooded the market.
This gave way to the monster, outer space genre of the 1950s, mushrooming into the Star Trek and Lost In Space phenomenon of the 1960s.
In the mid 1980s a smatter of people dressed in fursuits started to attend Trekkie Conventions.
“Furries,” as they became to be known, took over one room in the burgeoning Comic Cons, then in 1989 ConFURence Zero was presented as an all furry convention.
With the advent of the internet, furry is, in my opinion, the first culture to create and organize online.
Since my documentation in the late 90s, furry has indeed become mainstream morphing into other fandoms, raves, and conventions.
In the 21st century monthly furry conventions are worldwide events.
A furry is someone who identifies with anthropomorphic culture, in this case animals.
They usually have a “fursona,” which in new age terms was once called, “spirit animal.”
Some furries enjoy the art, (the erotic art is amazing!) gaming and social gatherings only, others take it deeper and sexualize the fandom as their fetish.
My research of furry became a documentary film I directed for MTV premiering January, 2nd, 2001. Plushies & Furries scored # 2 in the ratings with heavy rotation for 6 months.
My doco can currently be viewed on WOWTV.
Stephen Holman: FERAL
an Anglo-American artist who incorporates PAINTING, STOP-MOTION ANIMATION
and PERFORMANCE ART into his work.
His four-decade career has included working on Pee Wee's Playhouse,
directing and co-founding era-defining '80s LA performance troupe THEATRE CARNIVALE,
and creating animation series for Nickelodeon (LIFE WITH LOOPY), Warner Bros (PHANTOM INVESTIGATORS) and Disney (THE BITE-SIZED ADVENTURES OF SAM SANDWICH)
His work has been called "a wildly inventive treat" by the LA TIMES and "performance art at its finest, with the guts to go beyond the boundaries" by the LA WEEKLY.
opening reception: February 15th- 3pm- 6pm
on display thru April 1st
Lisa Derrick Fine Arts
961 Chung King Road
