Come On Pilgrim

Jockum Nordstrom's collages and drawings at David Zwirner gallery have an element of the Japanese scroll. Instead of kimono-clad figures, however, men wearing pilgrim-gear and women in thongs populate the negative space in Nordstrom's works. Something sinister is going on among these cutout figures. There's a whiff of "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible." I guess I'm a bit of prude, but I find the word "fuck" in one of the paintings' titles ("Fuck the Big Revolution, and Where is the Holy Bible") a little off-putting (and desperate). The artist certainly can create a mood with simple imagery, but I can't say for sure what it all adds up to. (Images via David Zwirner Gallery)