I could live and die in Danin Jacquay’s neon colored, monster mash fueled world
AKA DEATHCATS
Danin Jacquay’s (aka deathcats) work is beautiful. I am in love with it. As much as a person can be with someone’s art, which I think can be a lot. I mean art thrives in feelings.
And her art has had me feeling a certain way. She creates these candy-coated nightmares. Bright pinks and neon greens with unorthodox subjects in unorthodox scenes. Funny and unsettling. Think John Waters, Barbie, Midnight Matinees, Pee-wee Herman, Elvira, Rhonda Shear, Michael Myers, The Blob, and you may just start to understand.
It is the brutal joy of hyper-femininity, and it saturates my eyes in the most delightful way.
Her gift, like all great artists, is her unrelenting vision. You can see a photo or music video and be sure of who did it. There seem to be rules to her universe even if we don’t understand them. The scenes are living and breathing. It feels like you can step into them.
The first work I saw of hers was a series of humanoid animals, entitled AnimalZ.
This collection of photos was whimsical, campy, and seductive. Each looking like it could easily be the world of Howard the Duck or a more adult Goofy Movie.
I was so enthralled by this series—one image of the duck on all fours, eating bread in particular—that I emailed Danin to see if she had prints available. I could barely afford rent at that time, but I really wanted that artwork. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
That’s okay.
I’ve followed her off and on as my presence on Instagram fluctuated but was always excited to see what new creations she was sharing.
Her talent isn’t limited to photography.
She’s also worked with a range of artists on music videos. Somehow, she’s able to take these artists, highlight them and their uniqueness, while also sliding them into her candy coated, monster party world. It is truly an unbelievable gift.
I hope to see her work on the big screen someday. A full length film. Horror or otherwise. While I love what I see on Instagram and Youtube, it is meant for larger audiences, larger spaces, and larger budgets.
Her universe is an inviting one despite or because of the oddity that lies beneath the surface. It is a universe that people would want to be a part of and to play with as they do with any great storyteller’s world. Weird and joyful, I will be a fan of her art for a long time to come.
I hope that you can take the time to explore her work and give her a follow. I think it will be worth your while.
