Octocranks 1, 2, 3
“Octocranks...1,2,3” is informed by our struggles, sorrows and pains associated with gun culture. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gun violence was the leading cause of death and serious injury for all U.S. children and teens, ages 1-19 in 2018. The list of casualties goes on and on — year after year. Non-working systems, exploitation and profiteering are reocurring themes in my artwork. Over the years, I have been exploring these themes in different media and from different angles. Below is my vintage-inspired poster mini series — the latest iteration on this sad yet timely subject.
Octocrank 1
2022, 4ft x 4 ft
Silkscreen, paper mounted on wood
Octocrank 2
2022, 4ft x 4 ft
Silkscreen, paper mounted on wood
Octocrank 3
2022, 4ft x 4 ft
Silkscreen, paper mounted on wood
About the Project
Several over-arching themes include:
- Gambling and profiteering — as it relates to belief systems which play with people’s lives and destinies, regardless of its cost.
- Systematic exploitation — as represented through slot machines armed with cephalopod arms and plugged into non-working medical equipment.
- And propaganda-style marketing — as shown in bold, repetitive patterns and advertisement slogans which are derived from popular culture and excerpts from a German nursery rhyme.
The silkscreened panels appear to be bright, happy and playful on the colorful vintage-styled surface, yet deeper underlying cracks lie just beneath the weathered poster- styled artworks giving way to a gloomier tale of the story if you dare to start peeling away the layers.
The art works illustrate a bleeding, yet glorified system — set on never-ending repeat. While these prints don’t offer answers, they aim to spark a larger dialogue exploring the uncomfortable truth and the unseen cost of our belief systems. Who are we as a society? Do we care about anything, other than ourselves and the freedom to bear arms? And do we stay on the surface or aim to look deeper when s/he screams?
