Acrylic on Paper; 23 in. by 18 in.
What if animals took over the everyday roles in our lives? Would humankind need to necessarily devolve or could there be coexistence? Would there be conflict? In these first five oil-on- canvas works from a larger set, I explore stories with creatures in our place. A few elements animate this series: 1) a deliberate reverse anthropomorphism that privileges creatures as uncommon subjects and 2) a reinterpretation of well-known visual stories with nothing less than a serious tone that in effect, turns the real into the surreal.
In this reinterpreted scene of Adam and Eve (but as Elephant and Bear), creatures take the place of human beings in the most famous story of creation. Figuratively, history is molded in their liking. In a counterfactual visual history, a human cherub temps the “righteous” creatures. This role reversal, I hope, makes us think more about the origins of knowledge, good, and evil.
