As an artist I find it unsettling, yet intriguing when I run across work that reminds me of my own. It can sometimes make you question your own work, is it original enough? or is it simply derivative? What it seems to come down to, or at least this is what I tell myself so that I can keep on making, is that there is no original thought, rather there are new interpretations of the things of life. And in some sense, when confronted with similar work to my own, rather than feel discouraged I take some solace in the finding that there are others out there who see and interpret the world in a manner similar to my own.
Here are some of the pieces that I’ve found in the last few months that remind me of my own work, which is also portrayed.
This image is the work of Rebecca Wilson. I love this piece with the collection (wow even the idea of “collection” is in both works!) of small figures dressed in rabbit outfits.
In 2004 when I was beginning to work on my Collection of Small Miseries series I created a set of seven pieces in which the figurine character was dressed either entirely or partially (just the ears) as a rabbit, of which this image of the dead red bunny is one. This series to me addressed the dialogue of how humans are made a part of the testing process for new technologies, in particular genetically engineered technology through science’s and industry’s introduction of new, not always tested technology into our crops and food.
And this is the work of Barnaby Barford who also makes smart ass commentary on MacDonalds. His works uses found objects which he then cuts and pastes into new scenes.
This is my own piece of the worker crucified on the golden arches, titled He was Dying for a Hamburger. My own process is different in that I work from handmade molds and each piece is built referencing the traditional figurines such as Hummels, yet I don’t actually use the originals in the pieces.
Barford’s work is taking off in popularity, he was recently written up in the New York Times and will be showing at the Garth Clark Gallery in the exhibition Domestic Deities:The Figurine in Art. The show includes these other great artists: Marco Paulo Rolla (Brazil), Tony Hayward, Rachel Kneebone, Andrew Livingstone, Richard Slee (Great Britain), Louise Hindsgavl (Denmark), Laszlo Fekete (Hungary), and Ann Agee, Russell Biles, Linda Cordell, Justin Novak (US). Check out the whole show online at the Garth Clark Gallery.
