WAR – Available at Knoxville Art Musuem Dec 2024 – Feb 2025
$400.00
WAR will be on display and for sale at the Knoxville Museum of Art from November 2024-February 2025
48″ h 24″ w 8″ d
Mixed Media Assemblage, Cardboard, Metal, Cement paint, Foam clay, Paper Mache Clay, Acrylic Paint, Resin, Waterproof
Description
My piece “WAR,” a 48-inch sculpture, is a powerful representation of the destructive and dehumanizing nature of conflict. As I worked on it, I wanted the figure to embody both the chaos and the suffering that war inflicts. The figure is seated, as if weighed down by the gravity of its experiences, while tangled metal wire forms a chaotic, crown-like structure atop the head. This tangled mass symbolizes the entrapment and inescapable confusion of conflict, where clarity is lost, and every action feels entangled in destruction.
Nails and bolts pierce through various parts of the figure’s body, acting as visual metaphors for the physical pain and emotional scars left behind. The red streaks of paint that run down the body aren’t just symbolic of blood, but also of the way violence seeps into every layer of existence during war. I wanted those visceral elements to hit hard, to evoke the sense that the suffering isn’t just abstract—it’s felt in every nerve and sinew.
The respiratory tube connected to the figure’s mouth adds another layer to the theme, emphasizing the struggle to survive amidst destruction. It represents the tenuous grip on life in war-torn environments, where even breathing can feel like a battle. The gray and black tones of the figure, painted with fluid, abstract lines, serve as both camouflage and an expression of the loss of individuality. In the mechanized, impersonal nature of warfare, identity can fade into a blur, replaced by the uniformity of conflict.
The use of industrial materials like metal and bolts was intentional to contrast sharply with the more fragile aspects of the human form. It highlights the harsh reality of how war strips away humanity, reducing people to mere parts in a machine of destruction. The layered textures and intricate details invite deeper reflection, not just on the act of war itself, but on the profound suffering and resilience that emerge from its grip. Through this piece, I wanted to explore the way war invades the body and spirit, leaving no part untouched.
