 Round Candies I by Craig Kanarick 8"x8" ($24) | 11"x11" ($60) | 16"x16" ($240) | 24"x24" ($1200) | 30"x40" ($2400) |
 Animals I by Craig Kanarick 8"x8" ($24) | 11"x11" ($60) | 16"x16" ($240) | 24"x24" ($1200) | 30"x40" ($2400) |
Candy in American culture represents euphoric nostalgia. It’s that fleeting feeling, for a single moment, that you are a child again. It’s such a powerful force for children we dedicate an entire holiday to it. There’s a whole day based entirely around asking strangers for instant, sugar- based gratification -- and receiving it without question.
The two editions being released today (who can stop at just one candy?), Craig Kanarick’s Round Candies I and Animals I, is those euphoric moments of childhood in pure form: no cavities, no dwindling stash, just the joy of all that Halloween candy laid out in front of you, visually appealing and full of potential.
Personally hours of asking strangers for candy on Halloween, I would come home and let the pounds of fun-sized sugar bombs spill out onto the floor. One by one I’d pick them up and sort them. Five Snickers, three Milky Way, seven licorice, two bags of gummy bears. I’d arrange them on the floor in order: what I wanted to eat immediately, what I’d save for the next day, what might be traded with my sister for something better, and then, Almond Joy. Almond Joy went straight to the trash.
This kind of sorting is the way that Kanarick presents his candies. They’re arranged by category -- round candies, and animals -- and then presented in a balanced and appealing way that gives away Kanarick’s background as a designer. It’s a presentation that both evokes the pure exuberance of a child’s Halloween and appeals to a more adult, aesthetically balanced taste in visual art.
It’s almost good enough to eat.
With art for everyone,
Shane Ferro
