new times roman

2013. Free hand sculpted hands, arms, heads, legs, and stomach, fabric, epoxy resin, latex, enamels. 68in H x 50in W x 48in D (173cm x 127cm x 122cm).               

Photo Credit: Alex Hogan.

The drive between Philadelphia and Illinois is a little longer than fifteen hours.  For me it is often a time of reflection and a time when ideas for new work begin to germinate.  New Times Roman was conceived on one of these trips.

I had recently returned from a trip to Italy, where I had visited both Florence and Rome.  Strangely enough, I did not visit the Vatican, but I spent the trip travelling to different churches and museums and seeing the sculptures of Michelangelo, Giambologna, Donatello, and Bernini.  But, here I was back in the states, driving through the emptiness of West Virginia.  I was hungry.

I was searching for a place to stop and eat, an endless stream of choice-less options.  McDonalds.  Burger King.  Taco Bell.  McDonalds.  Wendy’s.  McDonalds.  Pizza Hut.  McDonalds.   Jesus, why are there so many McDonalds?  “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.”[1]

New Times Roman addresses the battle between multi-national corporations and the people who will ultimately be most affected by them.  It plays with the idea of the indoctrination of youth.  At one point, every town, village, and city contained at least one church, while today almost every town, village or city in the world contains at least one McDonalds. 

[1] (Orwell, 1949)

Available. Currently on display at MusVerre in Sars Poteries, France