Patricia Piccinini is currently showing a bunch of weird and wonderful things at the Roslyn Oxley9 gallery in Sydney. The show is called Related Individuals and closes on the 6th of December.

Patricia Piccinini
The Long Awaited, 2008
silicon, fibreglass, human hair, plywood, leather, clothing 152 × 80 × 92cm

Patricia Piccinini
Not Quite Animal II (Transgenic Skull for the Bodyguard), 2008
bronze 28 × 14.5 × 19.5cm

My guess is that at least half of all working artists in the world have created at least one skull this year! Every art magazine I pick up has at least one skull in it. Are we looking at our own mortality or is it just because of the Damien Hirst skull?

There is a beautiful painting of a face under there. It’s vibrant, vital, and has a lot of interesting colors and shapes to share. But the spark, albeit the tiniest glimmer in the eyes, has been covered up. Muddied and spray painted with opaqueness, it’s frustrating to look at what could be a joyful being, swallowed by apathy. Sinking into the cold coppery abyss without any care for saving oneself. It’s difficult to see the face clearly. You may want to, but just can’t. And the painting can barely see you. Sort of sums up sadness and depression to me.

This abstract painting of a sad or depressed face was painted with acrylics and spray paint on a masonite board. The painting is approximately 12″x16″.

P.S. So as not to alarm concerned viewers, I’m not depressed, but might have been when I painted this image. People, being the social creatures we are, are naturally inclined to assume art reflects personality or state of mind. And while that may be partly true, I give more credit to people’s ability to overcome obstacles after giving amnesty to fears.

Special thanks to the unspoken viewers who’ve given me the attention I needed to heal. Push for joy.

~Michael