Stylized paintings of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf

Mondongo, Red Riding Hood (Wolf) and Red Riding Hood, 2008, Plasticine over wood, 40 x 40 x 2 in. The Buck Collection at UCI Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art © Mondongo, courtesy of Track 16 Gallery, Los Angeles

Red Riding Hood (Wolf) and Red Riding Hood

Mondongo

Staff Pick | Monthly Muse September 2020

Seeing Red Riding Hood and Red Riding Hood (Wolf) in IMCA’s collection caught me by surprise and I was delighted to discover in Gerald Buck a fellow collector of fairy tales. These works by the Argentinian artist collective Mondongo make me feel a sense of wonder in the familiarity of the setting and connection to the girl in red transfixed by her thoughts. I am reminded of my childhood daydreams and growing up between two worlds. I was raised in Mexico City and Southern California in a perpetual state of transformation. Fairy tales were a magical way for me to cope. They can challenge power, speak to trauma, and transform a life. Today, living through a pandemic, these particular versions of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf make me happy.

Sofia Gutierrez
Associate Director of Education and Community Engagement, Langson IMCA