Monika BEHRENS

Artist Statement
Forthcoming Exhibition: 28th Feb 4th Mar, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Paddington 2021. Opening Night Drinks 5:30 7:30pm on the 28th of Feb. The history of humankind is anything but humane. Our past is littered with war, oppression, and genocide. The present is said to be the era of post-modernism, post-feminism, post-totalitarianism. We are said to have civilized, liberalized, and feminized. My works refute this contention. Our past remains our present. We live in the era of post-progression. Across the globe war, oppression, and violence prevail. Human behavior is as barbaric today as it was in the period before we came to think of ourselves as civilized. The Beslan siege, war in Iraq, Bali bombing, and Guantanamo Bay Prison are all testaments to this view. The message I express through my paintings is that violence is both a barbaric way to deal with conflict and a senseless form of self-expression. The medium through which I articulate this view is still life painting. By employing vibrant colours, symbolism, confrontational composition and a style that is not contemporarily associated with political art, I believe my message is amplified. In this series I have used organic materials and toys to contrast perpetrators with victims; violence with peace; and destruction with sustenance.

Art Forms