The Pink Bear

‘The Pink Bear’ has transformed a distant childhood memory of mine, by removing the bear from the context of a family portrait - which remained for years in my mother’s bedroom draw - and placing it into surroundings similar to that of a real bear. In the forest the bear is no longer a mascot for a theme park or TV show but becomes a mystical figure of a fantasy make believe world. The Pink Bear is not a man in a costume, it is an alter ego. The partially costume dressed figure is the transformation between reality and make believe, innocence and corruption. The pink bear has a whimsical sense of playfulness through its association with childhood memories, yet remains firmly attached to adulthood through the tainted surfaces that