CatCon, a convention entirely devoted to cats, will host Uncaged: The Unbearable Weight of Genius Cat Art, An art show dedicated to celebrating cult-favorite actor, Nicolas Cage.
Billed as comic-con for cat people, this year, seven artists will give their take on the actor and his love for god’s most perfect killing machine. Apparently, Cage is a lifelong cat lover and calls his black cat Merlin his best friend. “He loves contact,” Cage said in an interview. “Sometimes he’ll jump into bed and he’ll hug me, you know? I’ll actually think it’s my wife.”
For those that aren’t chronically online, you may be asking yourself; why Nic Cage? Well, CatCon founder Susan Michals explains “Nicolas Cage is an artist’s dream subject — he’s cult, he’s camp and he DGAF.” Michals is also the founder and curator of Cat Art Show, a biennial exhibit of cat-centric creations that is sponsoring the exhibit. “Cats have many of the same characteristics, so why not combine the two and celebrate it on canvas?”
Artist Brian Hoffman will exhibit their 11-inch by 14-inch print “Catstor Troy,” a tribute to Cage and Merlin. It shows the actor’s head, an homage to his character in the 1997 film “Face/Off,” atop a retro cartoon body. He is surrounded by 3 cartoon style cats.
“It’s definitely strange and a tad creepy, but heartwarming and fun if you love Cage and cats,” says Hoffman a designer, illustrator, and printmaker out of Boston. “Initially, the piece had Cage sitting next to magic mushrooms in an homage to Alice in Wonderland and her cat Dinah, as well as that one time Nic Cage allegedly took mushrooms with his cat.”
Artist Vanessa Stockard will present a piece called “Wild at Art.” The painting depicts the actor embracing a black cat with yellow eyes and a matching yellow wig.
If you’d like to learn more about CatCon or “Uncaged: The Unbearable Weight of Genius Cat Art” check out their website. CatCon will be held from October 1st -2nd in Pasadena, California.
