Portraits of artists who have been arrested for their art.

Oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm

 

The exhibition reflects the current ever-tightening world political situation.

 

The downtrodden often search for a hero upon whom to attach their salvation. Once the knight in shining armor presents himself or herself, all hope is cast onto this “great” person to save the day. Whether the leader is an artist, a yoga teacher, a political candidate, a religious icon or some other figure, once the mantle of hero has been assumed, the identity of the victim and perpetrator/enemy are also locked in.

 

If no obvious enemy exists, the search for the necessary evil-doer will begin, consciously or subconsciously. The politics of fear, unfortunately, are highly effective at manipulating the human psyche. Any challenger that seeks to be victorious over such a power dynamic must break free from the fundamental psychological paradigm, lest the cycle simply repeat with a new hero/perpetrator/victim.

 

From arrested artists, missionaries to zealots to extremist political parties to white saviorism to cancel culture, the drama triangle lives and breathes in the broader sociopath/political context as much as it does within our romantic relationships.

 

The victim-hero-perpetrator / enemy drama triangle is a subconscious human social interaction and destructive conflict. It is highly likely that we all have participated in some form of this drama triangle at some moment in our lives. There is no reason to feel shame about it.

 

The goal of the exhibition is to point out the arrested artists as one example of a victim-hero-perpetrator/ (enemy) drama triangle in society.

 

Challenging this triangle has the potential to heal not only relationships with potential partners but also the very fabric of society itself.