Dinner and a Movie

Beaks Bloody

Artist statement:

This work explores the nuances of a tense family following the death of a wealthy patriarch. Concerned about who will end up with the inheritance and "win the game," so to speak, members of the family split off alone or in groups; all are cold to one another, insulting each other openly and only caring about themselves or their group. Despite this, to outsiders they put on a show of being a big, close family all united under one roof, but this is a blatant lie. In this piece, I wanted to express the feeling of being in or witnessing such a situation. The broken plate, representing the fractured family, is surrounded by opulence—such as the gold necklace, red wine, and velvety colors and textures—as well as danger, whether literal (the sharp knife and broken glass) or psychological (the shapes of the backgammon board converge to create tension in the center). The red wine, also representing blood and the dramatic death of the patriarch, sits off to the side and hangs over the family as they manipulate and deceive in the name of greed.