Deutsch English
02.15.2012 - Studio Visit

 
10.03.2011 - WINNER OF THE CHARLATAN INK PRIZE 2011

Image Questionmark


"Questionmark" stands in a symmetrical stance with head tucked under and peering out sharply, as though armed and observing. This child figure bears no name, because he has not been given his identity at this point. The young boy possesses a guarded nature distinctive of defense. He stands atop a treasure box in which he was delivered. The "treasure" symbolizes the young boy as an object of worth, and yet he repels this adoration with defiance. My technical goal here is to resist addressing a specific culture or region, and to leave the visual channel open to the possibility that "Questionmark" could be taken out of and placed into any society in the world.

"Questionmark" bears the character of a toy that has been frozen in mid-mobility. However, the very nature of juvenile imagination he delivers reminds us of his vulnerability. The boy's flesh looks plush and sensitive, his nudity is a trigger for us to want to cloak. Ironically, while the child's viewers are made aware of his fresh energy of youth, the boy lacks a smile and evidence of laughter. He is depicted without body hair, which seems to dismiss a sense of sheltered health.

With all that the boy emits in discontent, he gains in his hypnotic physique of dense flesh and vile determination. Although fashioned with delicacy, he is hard-nosed, brawny, and demanding attention. The young child is empty beyond his eyes - helplessly programmed to deliver. He appears possessed, almost by some sort of "wind-up" mechanism that is set at the controlled speed of an operator. Because of the alien quality the figure exudes, he is bound to being dreaded, rather than nurtured. We are left with the notion there is something to be feared.

read article at www.kunstforum.com


more info