The two men in Cal Bocicault’s painting are, first and foremost, stylish, and they know it. Peering askance at the viewer, colors coordinated with themselves and each other, together they open the shoeboxes on their laps. The shoeboxes themselves become classic MacGuffins. We have no idea what’s in the boxes. For all we know, the boxes are empty. But maybe they’re not. Maybe they contain the most stylish sneakers we’ve ever seen, footwear that elevates all the clothes around it. The important thing is that the two men can see what we can’t. They know what’s in the boxes. They’re just not telling us.
It’s Gotta Be the Shoes is part of“Voir Dire,” an art exhibition of 10 artists curated by Kim Weston of Wábi Gallery, on view now at Known Coworking on the fourth floor of the Palladium Building at 139 Orange St.
