Cryptic Contraband by Lucky Pierre (Charleston, South Carolina, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by IUOMA member Lucky Pierre (Charleston, South Carolina, USA)

April 20, 2015 - Lucky Pierre is a network presence shrouded in mystery. So it is not surprising that this art she sent me is deeply mysterious. I might call this piece an object poem, only it is more like a prop from a lost film noir classic. I am deeply impressed by the delicate print carefully protected on a postcard-size piece of cardboard.

Then I discovered there is more to this piece than a wonderful print. Beneath the print there is a secret compartment containing a small bone blade suspended on the string. I had removed and replaced the print several times before realizing the cardboard strip is meant to be raised. That is due to the fact that I am very cautious about dismantling mail art, having done irreparable damage to work in the past. So the compartment seemed secret to me. I will go with that. The concept of concealment is built into this art regardless of how you spin it. This is a work about concealment on many levels.

I might offer some backstory about why I received a bone blade from Lucky Pierre. But I believe the cryptic quality of the work, the puzzle regarding the relationship among the signs assembled in this mail art, is the core of what makes it fascinating. The viewer must fill in the narrative gaps.

The blade is also suggestive of a key. The envelope is equally fantastic, especially the leaping mink:

And the reverse:

Deepest thanks to Lucky Pierre!