ARTIST STATEMENT FOR THE EXTRAVAGANZA AWAITS |
My current series of paintings (The Bunny Baby Series,
seen on the Galleries page here), which evolved into installation, is
based in notions of spectacle, consumption of information, and self-gratifying
selection. These ideas are subtly entwined in the subject matter,
design, and content of the work. I lighten their heaviness with humor
and treat them with a carnivalesque aesthetic, appropriate to the absurdity
that I see characteristic of them. Painting places the issues in a narrative
context, but the story remains open-ended to allow the viewer to bring
personal associations to the work. I specifically selected images of
friends and family unfamiliar to the viewer and a lexicon of personal
symbols to maintain mystery, which should bring the viewer back to the
series again and again. Installation helps the viewer physically interact
with the work, giving more time to make associations, consume information,
behave with the characters, and eventually witness their own behaviors.
I hope for the viewer’s recognition of complicity not only with
the work itself, but with the ideas contained in the work, because I
believe these ideas are general and, though important, sometimes overlooked.
This show is dedicated to my Granny, Patricia S. DiGeorge, and to my truly amazing family. Special Thanks |