I’m compelled by the internalization of American mythology, how perpetuated stories and images become a part of our personal mythologies. I tend to concentrate on the post WWII period because this is when the facade-like nature of American culture began to proliferate with extravagance (television, mass consumerism/marketing, Disneyland etc). Soon this layered simulacra was imperceptible, the boundaries blurred between the real and the imagined. This illusion of the everyday allowed for the gap between idealization and reality to flourish.

The counterculture of the 1960s clearly illustrates this gap between idealistic optimism and actuality; An abrupt upheaval questioned traditional social values and on a deeper level, capitalism and the grander facade that it upheld. This questioning involved a lot of postmodernist thinking (within academia as well as popular culture) and created an opening for magical thinking. This general acceptance of magical thinking had an impactful effect on religion, it also allowed room to believe in things like satanic panic, aliens, spontaneous healing, and the paranormal. Perhaps most notably, it permitted pseudoscience to enter into the mainstream. We may not be able to define universal Truths, but we can recognize universal human traits; I am trying to understand which universal traits are more prominent within American culture and why we have a deep desire to elevate ourselves out of the everyday.

I’m using realism to create a surrealistic effect, mimicking the indiscernible line between the real and the unreal. Additionally, the illusory quality of realism lends itself to our yearning to believe in the mystical. I use various aesthetic elements from mid century American culture that may portray an initial sense of nostalgia, but my intention is to manifest something haunting (rather than saccharin) — a visual echoing of the reverberating social shifts that occurred during the 20th century.

madisonskriverart.com /// @beautifuluniverse