Danny Houk crafts re-imagined everyday objects to open dialogues between our closely held beliefs and alternative perspectives that may be hiding in plain sight. Playful and accessible imagery becomes a trojan horse for smuggling in politically and religiously charged ideas. His art is often a critique of structures that threaten humans from flourishing, especially through economic injustice, white Christian nationalism, and their impacts on children. Rather than furthering divides between political or religious affiliations, he offers his handmade, punchy, graphical spins on the quotidian to reflect on our shared human experiences.

Spinners, Pawns, and Players comes from a years-long exploration into game-themed imagery that reveals aspects of life we may not typically associate with games. Houk’s interest in this theme stems from a lifetime of playing games, the personal revelations that happen during play, and their capacity to provoke ideas and discussions about relationships, religion, and politics. He is also attracted to the accessibility and pop culture status of game imagery because nearly everyone has participated in some type of game.

An opening for Spinners, Pawns, and Players will take place on Friday, March 7 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, please contact the Art Annex Gallery at arxgallery@semo.edu.