Shoot Painting

The title of "Shoot" is an ode to Chris Burden's eponymous 1971 performance piece, in which the artist had a friend fire a bullet into his arm. In the context of the Vietnam War, Burden is quoted in explanation for this action, as "wanting to know what it felt like". For me, his work faces squarely the violence we normalise every day in reconciling war and graphic media imagery. I recycled "Shoot"'s figurative aspect from a poster for Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film, "Blow-Up", based on the life of David Bailey in Swinging London. In the movie, a fashion photographer unwittingly captures a murder on film. Thus, the term "shoot" acquires a double meaning. In the theatre of the fashion studio, one can imagine his activation of the camera shutter lifting the model's spirit from her body, as she is instantly reduced to a still publicity image. "Blow-Up" implicates female objectification like Burden's "Shoot" does collective apathy. Both references point to the postmodern concept of "death to the subject". The plume of smoke in the painting is inspired by an aerial photograph of the Buncefield oil depot explosion, which transpired in Hertfordshire, late 2005. Despite the environmental impact of the fire, which sent flames hundreds of feet into the sky and smoke drifting for miles, Buncefield caused zero fatalities, and this is represented by the silver lining on the cloud. "Blow-up" connotes both a static doll and a dynamic chemical reaction.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:27.6 W x 39.4 H x 1.6 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.