TEN Gallery and Collective

4432 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115

August 5-26, 2017

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Artist Statement

Historically, still lives have depicted objects of desire. The paintings and sculpture in this show take from the context of still life, and portray or utilize lowly foods in various states.  Though lowbrow, these foods are particularly delicious in their own way – dessert snacks allude to strong nostalgic associations with their flavors and textures.  However, despite their desirable qualities, they are insidious: preservative rich, non-nutritive, and gluttonous. I attempt to show the contrast of delectable delight and discontent through the use of rich oil paint with sensuous texture and the subject matter of bad or decomposing food. In addition, the sometimes-garish palette of the work is hopefully both entrancing and oddly tasteful in a manner recalling the way intense colors in nature can either signify virility or warn against a capacity for poison.

 

This exhibition is comprised of works that show the exploration, over the past three years, of a luscious decay.  It has been extremely difficult to make, because this subject matter is a metaphor for a ten year relationship and marriage that was both comforting and disastrous.   The work also represents my battles with body dysmorphia and anorexia from an early age through my late teens, as chewed and abject food now lays bare, representationally, on these surfaces.  The titles of the works suggest these layers.

 

I don’t expect viewers to sink their teeth (pun intended) into this personal content. Nor do I intend to characterize myself as a victim by revealing this underlying meaning.  Rather, I made this work from a place of growth and healing – again a difficult process, but one that is steeped in positivity. I intend the textures of the materials I use, especially oil paint, and formal qualities of the subject matter, to convey sexiness and strength in moving forward with my life. A function of my practice and drive to create is to establish a sense of place and identity, and this body of work acts in that way as well.

 

The title of the show makes references to Alice in the rabbit hole, who found herself changing emotionally and physically after consuming edibles.  It’s also a brusque way to ask for a particular sexual favor, in addition to verbally giving the middle finger to another.  While I haven’t actually spoken the title in any common parlance, under any circumstances besides giving the name of the show, it seemed like the best summarization of the content. The title has been, metaphorically, a part of my life for the past few years. In reality this work has eaten me, akin to the way my longest relationship and an eating disorder consumed me and then spit me back out. I am glad for all of it, though; for the experience and wisdom that it has generated.