Walking into Mickey, five casts of soldiers stand at attention. The monochromatic industrial space brings attention to “Psychoangels,” the shiny new works by Chloe Siebert that was on view until January 21st, 2024. At first glance, the works look like scraps of armor from a dystopian cat army. The industrial Mickey gallery gave me a feeling that I stepped into a post-apocalyptic museum of a war. Stories began flooding through my head of the cat ancestors that fought so valiantly. Their stories are remembered, warranted for their sacrifice that Siebert clearly displays.

Curated by Mickey Pomfrey, “Psychoangels” is the second solo exhibition of Chloe Siebert. In the gallery’s main room, the exhibition consists of five anthropomorphic female cat soldiers clad in ceramic armor and decorated with piercings and metal chains. They are propped onto the ghosts of old soldiers made of plaster cast moldings. In the second room, hung on the wall are five similar looking breastplates.

The piece Catsuit 4, shows the armor on a cast mold that is missing their right arm and left leg. Although the casting may look unfinished, the dystopian aesthetic leads me to believe the missing limbs are deliberate, and the past of the soldier is tragic. Catsuit 4, appears to be the general: the large helmet covers the head and shoulders of the warrior. A feline nose and mouth are carved into the helmet, with holes cut to create similarly appearing eyes. Although the armor may be gallant, it is also demented as any grungy punk. The armor is adorned with piercings and carved patterns that are tied together with lime green elastic string.

In Catsuit 5, the cast stops at the end of the soldier’s tail. A helmet sits on top of the piece, but it opens up to show neck armor. A breastplate looking like a smiley face with pierced nipples for eyes protects our soldier, and the same lime green string as on Catsuit 4 connects parts of the armor together. No part of this soldier is left vulnerable; even the tail is protected by spine-like armor that curls with the movement of the tail. Like its predecessor, there is a punk edge to our soldier. The armor is decorated with spiky pink and yellow adornments. A copper medallion of male genitalia dangles from the hip of the armor. The medallion is engraved twice with “Italia,” the Italian name for Italy. The gallant punk soldiers maintain their sense of humor in whatever turmoil they’ve endured. The juxtaposition of tragedy and camp eerily reflect the realities of war. In the grim environment, how else can one continue to fight without the release of humor.

Siebert continues to add fun elements to the pieces. In Catsuit 2, There is a similarly crafted helmet and armor as on the other pieces. However, in this piece, the breastplate has each breast pierced with the initials “C’ and “S” dangling from them. In the second room, Siebert adorns the rest of her breastplates in a similar fashion. Breastplate 5 is hung by black bows, and a chain reading “CHLOE” hangs from the chest. Breastplate 4 is hung by colorful pins and chains, and a crack in the right side of the plate is colored in with a lime green shade similar to the color of the strings attaching the armor in other pieces. Unlike the rest of the pieces, these breastplates are hung without the frame of the anthropomorphic moldings. It urges me to think these pieces were found in the silence after battle, attached to their warriors that are now so unrecognizable the only tangible evidence of their existence are these eccentric pieces of armor. It begs me to wonder who these soldiers were? What was their cause? Who were they fighting?

Siebert teases clues into the personalities of these soldiers. Some of these soldiers have ambiguous gender and sex. Many of the soldiers have a breastplate with piercings on the nipples. Catsuit 5 has the breastplate and the “Italia” male genitalia charm. These clues can give us an insight on where and when these soldiers come from. In this show, gender and sex are arbitrary; piercings are a stylistic choice everyone has; and humans have developed into anthropomorphs. The world Siebert is building prompts further investigation.

The term “psychoangels” can also be referred to as “psychopomp”, or a guide to the souls. A psychopomp is seen in a lot of religions as a figure, often anthropomorphic, that helps deceased souls pass on to the afterlife. An example is Charon in Greek mythology. The show begs to question if these soldiers are the psychopomps or the spirits needing to move on.

I believe the five figures that welcome you into Mickey are a council of psychoangels. They gaze upon the visitors and assess what is best to help the viewers move on to the next life. However, I continue to see the figures as a museum collection. The casts are the shell of the souls that have left this world, while the armor they wear are the pieces that connect these souls to the material world. They are here to guide us into their world. Like in a museum, their stories are preserved in the stoic statues. They preserve their life into another form and give solace to the souls that lost their lives.

Whatever mythology was crafted into “Psychoangels,” it is warranted. The hall of soldiers has an air of mythology that begs to be questioned, probed, and actualized. Not only are the pieces meticulously crafted, but they also invoke a creative investigation into their origin. Chloe Siebert’s “Psychoangles” gives viewers a chance to explore their mythology. Not only are the figures captivating, but so are the possible mythologies behind them.

Andrew Hart Benson (they/them/theirs) is a writer for the New Art Examiner. They have written about music, television, and film for various magazines and are excited to focus on art in NAE.