I'm From The Devil Island Painting

Tanya is from Tahiti - what I call the Devil Island. She told me that there is a lot of mental illness on the island that is most likely a result of the rampant incest that goes on there. Several months into our talks, Tanya told me that she saw her mother jump off a cliff committing suicide. Let me ask you, Why would a mother commit suicide in front of her child? Do you believe years of incest produces mental illness through inbreeding? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ira Listen, I can't do pretty art. If the world needs more seascapes, landscapes, and still lifes - I'm out! My work concerns big issues that are difficult to talk about – sexual and physical abuse, social responsibility and the dumbing down of society. I believe in genetic essentialism – that certain human conditions are connected to a particular gene (or set of genes). This is not a politically correct standpoint, but I ask you, can you think of something that can happen without your genes? You see, my art tells the stories of the relationships between me and my models. Before one brushstroke is put to canvas, I need to know absolutely everything about her. My artistic process requires time and a commitment to paint the unmediated truth discovered during this close relationship. It is an agonizing process but I am compelled to continue asking difficult questions. Over the past years, I have painted the most unique women to me based on our chemistry and their story. I believe that their behaviors are genetically determined and not a result of experience or societal influences. My paintings, mixed media collages and sculptures will not necessarily go with the furniture but it will leave you with the unbelievable documentation supporting my belief that behaviors are predetermined by genetics. Fuck Wisely is a brutally honest summation of all my work – which is more profound than a pretty picture.