The Devil Island Painting

Moorea is always 82°, sun shining, light breezes, crystal water, PARADISE. The place is so fertile that you could stick your dick in the soil and it would grow. I spent a month on this island and worked with four models. Model #1 is very sweet. She thinks her real father is her uncle. Doesn't care. Model #2 is beautiful and wild. She and her friends go out, drink beer, smoke, steal, and have sex every night. If she has a second baby, it is the custom to give it to your grandmother to raise. Model #3 is pregnant with her second child. The first sperm donor beat her. To get even, she got pregnant from No.1’s best friend. Model #4 is consumed by the island's customs. She constantly participated in rituals that were hard for her to talk about. She had no life. Each of these women told me about the incest on the island - it is the biggest issue not talked about to outsiders. Let me ask you, Are there any genetic issues in your family? Are your parents well-suited for each other? Should they have decided to have children? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Work #fuckwisely: Genetics Determine All The Shit You Do is Ira Stein's mantra. His works confronts a topic that is not well represented in the commercial sector – genetic determinism. Using portraiture as a deceptively innocuous medium, Stein interprets his subjects based solely on the secrets exposed during the studio sessions. These sessions can take up to weeks or months before one brushstroke is put to canvas. In these sessions, models are asked about their family history. The interview process always begins with these questions: Do you love your mother? Do you like her? Do you love your father? Do you like him? From these seemingly benign queries, an emotional (and most often troubling) responses that fuels the production of a psychoanalytical portrait. His portraits are provocative, rough, raw, and purposeful. In these works, authentic expressions of humanity are shared willingly with an anonymous viewer. Stein departs with a purely formalistic approach by insisting that interpretative materials accompany each portrait. The goal of including a textual component to the work is to clearly indicate the artist’s intentions by anchoring the sitter’s identity to the stories shared during the interview process. Beside each portrait, the unfiltered retelling of the molestation, addiction, and abuse are shared, along with questions directed towards the viewer about the essential nature of our being. The inclusion of a textual guide to comprehend the complexity of his work is an integral part of his production. Just as his artistic process begins with an interview, the work now becomes complete when Stein can interrogate his audience about the nature of humankind as seen through his fractured emblematic women.

Multi-paneled Painting:Acrylic on Other

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:40 W x 48 H x 1 D in

Number of Panels:4

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