Are we sure this is art? What looks like big fluffy hunks of children's toys, crossed with serious social commentary, comprise Longview artist Celia Eberle's Someone to Play with at Mulcahy Modern through April 17, 2001.

Sometimes art just doesn't look like art. Although what else could it be? These faceless, soft and / or furry hunks of somethings almost identifiable, by Longview artist Celia Eberle at Mulcahy Modern Gallery, defy easy categorization. Obviously, they began life as children's toys. Then Celia did some serious rewiring — turning cute and cuddly into subtly strange and aberrently abhorrent. Their gentle materials, human- like complement of arms, legs and sometimes heads, or animalish ears and noses draw us in. About the time we're wanting to stroke their furry little carcases, we notice important parts are missing or biggie-sized. Faces, eyes, sometimes heads are absent. Or parts we don't usually see are present or are there in outrageous proportion — like the small footed he rabbit and the dark, furry blob with giant lips at the top, or the doggish thing below — with tiny, doll like human hands, no eyes or mouth, but this minute, cameo- like face at the end of its snout. This stuff gives me the willies. And that is, somehow strangely and unsettlingly, comforting. - JR Compton

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