A Place Called Lovely

Nicky is seven His parents are older and meaner A Place Called Lovely references the types of violence individuals find in life from actual beatings accidents and murders to the more insidious violence of lies social expectations and betrayed faith Benning collects images of this sociallypervasive violence from a variety of sources tracing events from childhood movies tabloids childrens games like mumbledypeg personal experiences and those of others Throughout Benning uses small toys as props and exampleshandling and controlling them the way we are in turn controlled by larger violent forces