I have been intrigued by art that synthesizes the human, physical body with the mechanics of the manmade world.  This has led me to research the work of Raoul Hausmann, Max Ernst, and Rebecca Horn.  Each of these artists reference the body and its uneasy union with the artificial or mechanical.  Symbolic forms that I find particularly compelling include the hand and objects used as surrogates for the body: bottle nipples, respirator bags, sex toys, prosthetics.  The hand exemplifies the human presence, while the other objects, to varying degrees, distance us from the most human of activities.  These forms, as manufactured objects replicating natural functions, act as substitutes for nature.  I find this composite of the physical body and the synthetic world simultaneously fascinating and frightening.  Through this line of inquiry I am conscious of the connecting threads that link the many disparate elements of history, culture, and what it is to be human.

Concurrently in the Charak Gallery:
Corey Ackelmire & Nathan Dube