Gallery4Culture
2009-2010 Season

Eugene Parnell
Bigfoot is Probably Real
December 3 - 31, 2009

reception December 3, 2009, 6 – 8 p.m.

Gallery4Culture is proud to present the work of Seattle-based sculptor Eugene Parnell, the West Coast's foremost cryptozoological reconstruction artist. Parnell creates installations and interactive works that navigate the mental geographies of childhood and the politics of Natural History displays. His studio practice is an ongoing investigation of natural and cultural history, anthropology, cryptozoology, and the notion of the Exotic.

In December’s solo exhibition, Parnell expands on a foray into the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery begun in the recent Kirkland Arts Center group show, False Proof. He poses the questions, "How do we know what we know about the natural world? Is it possible to deduce the existence of an animal without an identifiable carcass, neatly tagged, stuffed, and taxonomically labeled? If genuine Bigfoot remains were presented to the public, would they even be accepted as such?"

Bigfoot is Probably Real. is an interactive installation where visitors can: don large wooden strap-on feet to recreate hoax Bigfoot tracks; read a sampling from countless eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot sightings; and hear the audio from a genuine 911 emergency call made by an eyewitness. Parnell also offers visitors the memorable experience an actual Bigfoot encounter - his one-of-a-kind, 8 foot taxidermied specimen.

Parnell holds an MFA from the University of Hawaii. His work has been included in exhibitions at the Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle, Bellevue Art Museum, Soil Gallery in Seattle, the University of Wisconsin, and in Denver, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Johannesburg, and elsewhere. His studio practice is fueled by his extensive travels throughout the Pacific, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. www.eugeneparnell.com/blog

Gallery4Culture is located within 4Culture offices at 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle WA 98104 at the corner of Third and Prefontaine, in the Tashiro/Kaplan Building. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. The Gallery will be closed during government holidays as well as nine furlough days in 2010: January 4, February 12, May 28, July 2, September 10, October 1, November 26, December 27. The gallery is open and free to the public. For more information about this program call 206 296.8674.