For millennia, artists have used visual stories to express their ideas. A long tradition of narrative figuration in art dates back to early cave paintings of men hunting animals. Both Eastern and Western religions used narrative art to glorify their gods and to educate their often illiterate followers in their teachings. Narrative figuration continues to find its place in contemporary art as a way to explore the complexity of life in our post-modern age. The function of narrative figurative art has, in essence, always been the same—to connect to the humanity of the viewer, to communicate ideas, and to make the viewer think.
I am interested in narratives that explore the individual’s search for identity in a changing world. How do we define ourselves in the contemporary context, and what are the feedback loops that construct and qualify this definition? In this process, who we are is often accompanied and even superceded in our minds by who we are not. The persistence of such oppositions in our psyches implies an internal struggle that is often central to my work.
My recent paintings, prints and drawings confront issues of masculinity and explore the struggles that men face to not only understand their own maleness, but also to connect with one another. The ways in which our cultural constructs of masculinity operate to both enhance and thwart bonds between men interest me. The male fear of femininity, the pressure to subscribe to ever-shifting socially imposed codes of masculine conduct, and the moral dilemma men face in trying to conform are underlying concepts that inform my work. The visual narratives I create employ humor and an implied sense of threat to emphasize the sometimes absurd preconceptions and behaviors that influence relationships between men.
The figures in my compositions are drawn or painted from photo-based digital collages made by recombining parts from various images of men. These images come from the mass media and from my own photographs. The collage process references how boys form their concept of male roles—by piecing together the perceived characteristics of cultural icons and stereotypes with those of influential men in their lives. The awkwardness of the figures resulting from this method reflects both the struggle men face to integrate these disparate qualities and the difficulties they encounter in their efforts to live up to society’s ambiguous role expectations.
