ANIMAL NATION
Open AccessIn recent years, I have become increasingly infatuated with American identity. I have found American culture to be slippery and elusive when investigating what exactly makes something, or someone distinctly American. Creating this series of paintings has led me to stop trying to define or dissect what the traits and values of Americans are; and start trying to express the experience of being American alongside those who come from the same civilization. While the essential “American experience” may exist in a constant state of change from generation to generation, and vary vastly among individuals, it is the framework through which we analyze our experiences that I believe we have in common. The artists that I relate to within this body of work have different experiences with American culture than my own, but there is commonality in the way we intake those experiences and export our expressions.I have found that there are numerous contradicting truths that constitute the values of the American people. From a distance we can appear separate and atomized from each other. Despite this I believe we are one American people, and all the proof I need to convince myself is visible within our art. This body of work, “ANIMAL NATION”, has been restorative to my sense of national identity. These paintings have helped me understand those who are different from me, as well as helped me sincerely express my differences to others. Right now, it is not uncommon for Americans to describe our culture as polarized, but I desire a future where we feel we can trust each other again. It is with that hope that I have made this series of paintings, and it is that sentiment that I have tried to stay true to.
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