December Exhibit: Sad Salesman & Horrible Adorables
The Sad & Horrible Show
New Works by Sad Salesman & Horrible Adorables
December 19, 2020-January 10, 2021
As we were planning the end of our exhibit calendar for this year we couldn’t have known just how insane 2020 would be, but we’re ending the year on something Sad and Horrible regardless, very apropos. But there is literally nothing sad or horrible about the works of Sad Salesman and Horrible Adorables — both make some of the cutest things on the planet and we can’t wait to show you what they’ve been up to!
The exhibit will be open for viewing and sales beginning Saturday, December 19, 10am-6pm, but we are being cautious and will not be holding an opening reception. There will be many pieces in the exhibit that are cash and carry, so it’ll be a great show for a little gift shopping!
Can’t make it to the gallery? Sign up for our gallery previews email list at previews.rotofugi.com to receive an email when works are available to purchase online! We try to have a preview out the day before an exhibit opens, though sometimes it doesn’t go out until sometime after the opening.
The gallery is open for viewing at Rotofugi, 2780 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, 10am-6pm daily, or view online at gallery.rotofugi.com.
About the Artists
Sad Salesman is New York-based artist Eric Althin…he believes there is a little sad salesman in everyone. He created a tragic but tenacious fellow, who ended up becoming his mascot/logo/website. He has always been a character lover and for most of his life, a toy collector. As a kid it was He-man and Star Wars toys, then it became designer toys and sofubi. He started sculpting his own toy designs and fell in love with bringing new characters into the world to make your inner sad salesman smile :)
Horrible Adorables are the creations of Jordan Elise Perme and Christopher Lees, a wife and husband team from Cleveland. They met at the Cleveland Institute of Art where Jordan graduated with her BFA in Fiber & Material Studies, and Chris was pursuing training in fine arts after completing his BS in Mechanical Engineering.
Jordan and Chris bring their soft sculptures to life by meticulously arranging patterns of felt scales onto hand carved forms. The resulting characters have qualities that are booth cartoonish and eerily realistic at the same time. Horrible Adorables are strange hybrid creatures from a fantastical world. Their facial expressions and postures reveal recognizably human emotions as they interact with one another.
In addition to Horrible Adorables, Jordan also works as a freelance toy and textile deisgner. She has proudly worked for companies such as Little Tikes, Hasbro and Joann Fabrics.