You Give Love a Bad Name

There’s not much that’ll leave you as woefully inspired as a broken heart. Maybe your girl dumped you because you never washed the dishes or your boy-toy cheated on you with a college-aged tart. Maybe -- just maybe -- both your girl and your guy left you because you couldn’t decide. Either way, you’re going to be hurt, pissed off, raving mad, hurt again, and downright vengeful before finally settling on creative venting to get over the ache. And there’s nothing like heartache to inspire good art. Just ask the “Heart Snatchers.”

Who are they? Four artists, each with a connection to South Florida and a heart full of the heavy stuff – love, lust, pain, perversion, and the like. Think of them like the Fantastic Four of all things hand-drawn and amorous. First there’s John Kissee, an illustrator whose work is sort of like a graphic novel being invaded by elegant stencil art. Then there’s Cristy C. Road, a punk-y artist with a knack for fucking with sensibilities through provocative, often macabre illustrations. Tatiana Suarez has a bent for doe-eyed femmes who look like they consume emotions with their breakfast cereal, and Natali Martinez does richly detailed characters with touch of animalism. Truth be told, each of these love gurus could hold down a gallery show by their lonesome, but together “Heart Snatchers” is the total package: Knockout good looks with a mind to match. Take a shot to the heart when the exhibit premiers Saturday at 7 p.m. at Pink Ghost (21 W. Las Olas Blvd. Ste. B, Ft. Lauderdale). It’s free, and will run till April 19. Visit www.pinkghost.net.
March 15-April 19, 2008