Bodies Growing Roots

On one hand there is the struggle of being hopelessly trapped in our noisy heads, not being able to stop thinking, and on the other hand, equally scary is the possibility of relaxing completely and uncontrollably merging with everything around-not being able to define oneself anymore. One vision of such a scenario is that all nature around us would start taking on human traits while we humans would start growing root-like extensions. All sense of separateness would disappear and everything would merge. Trees would start becoming more human and vise versa.

Climbing into the Universe

The Root Helmet is a sculpture which magically transforms any person into an indigenous forest creature. The facial expression which shows our social conditioning is hidden, while the bare body is exposed in its most natural form.
This sculpture is the correspondent opposite of Study Chamber (1995) one of my earlier works.

C-print mounted under plexi glass 23.6 x 15.7″, 2008, Photography in collaboration with David Byun

Climbing into the Universe

C-print mounted under plexi glass 23.6 x 15.7″, 2008, Photography in collaboration with David Byun

Root Helmet

Sculpture displayed laying on ground.
Materials: Mixed media: 2008,
19 x 17.7 x 21.7″
Photography in collaboration with David Byun

Merging with the Forest

C-Print, 2008
10.4 x 14.8"

Photography in collaboration with Sabina Motta

Reaching for Dissolution

Oil on linen, 2010
38 x 68”

I AM A SPROUT.
(a poem I wrote inspired by this painting)

I am a sprout.
Sprouting is my daily job,
Shooting upwards to pierce the open virginal sky.
My underside however likes to investigate various hidden smells and textures.
It likes to reach downwards to where its moist and warm and undefined,
to where all shapes and colors surrender,
surrender to the gravitational pull of harmony.
The wind is caressing my rosy nipples and the heavens are reflecting,
reflecting all their accumulated information in turn onto my white skin.
Youth’s job is to move upward.
Old age’s is to move down- and inward towards its own reflection.
I do both.
Spending time in consideration of upwardness, might feel less threatening to some of us,
less worrisome than imagining the various subliminal possibilities of invasion.
Fear of adulteration seems very real!
No matter, my fingers will keep digging.

Pointing in the Right Direction

Gouache and pencil on paper, 2009
4.9 x 6.9″

Ast Arm (Branch-arm)

Fabric, wax, polyester filling, 2008
3.5 x 14.6 x 32”

I want to be Daphne

Pencil and gouache on paper, 2006
8.9 x 11.8″

Stepping into an other world

Pencil and gouache on paper, 2006
8.9 x 11.8″

Hanging from a Thread

In New York most billboards on buildings are illegal. One must file with the building department to receive permission to invade the public space with advertising. If a building owner gets caught with a violation they just pay a small fine. It's well worth the income!

In 2009 a group of artists organized a guerrilla action to paint over all the illegal advertising in the city. One group of artists went out Friday night and painted all billboards white and on Saturday morning a second group of artists painted artworks on all those whited out billboards. Here is what I painted on Freeman's alley.

2008