My present work concerns the cyclical nature of both human and inhuman experience. Existing in the primeval and the present, the characters in these dramas are encountering truth as we no longer can. These paintings and drawings interpret the interrelated thinking and emotions of an isolated instant. The space inhabited by the subjects is limited to shallow uplifted planes which emphasize the confrontational aspect of the images. The backgrounds are often very two-dimensional, contrasting with the more defined elements. The less I attempt to fully describe what the work is, the more often the work lends itself to self-description and multiple interpretation.
The series of work entitled, ELEPHANT GRAVEYARDS, is the outcome of this allowance. The current plight of this monumental mammal is not terribly dissimilar to the plight of man on this overpopulated, aging sphere. Many of the works seem to be too fantastic to be considered, yet that is precisely what I have done. I have considered the possibilities of the entangling, or fusion, of human and animal in thought, action, and physicality. With paint and charcoal, I address the observation that humans have been the more insensitive species throughout history.
The elephant's lack of land, lack of food, and culling are all proof of this fact. Destroying the elephants and the land that they inhabit is, in fact, destroying a part of ourselves that we may never recover. This work exposes the result of the misuse of our privileged position and confronts what may be necessary in order to regain what we have already lost. The struggle is not man vs. animal, but exclusively a human dilemma.
Ran Mullins