Sean McCarthy's Demonic Drawings at Fredericks & Freiser

Sean McCarthy's exhibition 'I Think of Demons' at Fredericks & Freiser in Chelsea (January 25 – March 1, 2008) presents ink and graphite drawings of chimerical hybrid creatures inspired by demonology texts such as 'The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King' and Colin de Plancy's 'Dictionnaire Infernal'. McCarthy's meticulous technique avoids shading, relying instead on dots and lines to create three-dimensional forms. Works like 'Astaroth' (2007) combine anatomically correct animal parts into nightmarish amalgamations, while 'Flehmen Response' (2007) depicts a winged zebra impaled by a caterpillar-like spore creature, merging sex and death. 'Void' (2007) reinterprets the Ouroboros with dentate, claws, and eyes swirling in a numinous substance. Unlike Hieronymus Bosch's moral hierarchies, McCarthy's demons fight each other or stand poised to attack unknown entities, synthesizing demon and victim. The exhibition raises questions about invention in contemporary art, presenting fantastic drawings that are neither ironic nor conceptually portentous.