Trojan Horse

“Trojan Horse” 16 × 20”. pen, ink, fluid acrylic, imitation gold leaf

This was the final piece I made for “It Isn’t That Serious”. I had been wanting to use imitation gold leaf again after using it on a commissioned piece back in 2019 and with our current President’s obsession with all things gold and the hysteria around eggs and their gradual climb into a luxury grocery item (I say this jokingly but there are cartons (12 pack) in NYC that are marked at $16.99 currently) I figured this was as good a time as any to apply the material. I also have been thinking a lot about the Mad Max universe after watching Furiosa, which is great so just give it up already if you claim it’s “woke” trash. This series is allowed to tell other stories with other characters in that world and you can either join or just go watch the original trilogy over and over. And anyone complaining about Mel Gibson not being in the new movies..George Miller’s universe is better off without him being in it anymore. He had his time. We love those movies and he is iconic in them but it’s over. But, what I originally wanted to say is, I think Miller’s gonzo vision of the future is not that far off from our world in terms of who gets to reign, what we covet and the disparity between who rules and who follows and the messages only feel more and more urgent as time goes on. It’s incredibly distilled down while being outlandish and absurdly over the top, in the best way possible. I think those movies have always had a big influence on my own satirical voice in my work and this piece is definitely a love letter to them.