Why Do You All Look Away
Why Do You All Look Away, 2021, mixed media on woodpanel, 120 x 90 cm
An excerpt from the Nexus exhibition catalog essay by art historian Anna Ficek from the City University of New York:
"Using communities as sources of care and mutual aid is a central theme in Kenez’s work. There is a hurried throng of fantastical characters that swirl around the vibrant painting on panel entitled Why do you all look away?. This is not a community but a crowd of individuals in close proximity to one another. A lonely hand, ignored by the mass, begs for help, but, alas, no one is paying attention. The figures are distracted, allowing the cry for help to be ignored, pushing the little hand further into the abyss. The work interrogates the disjunction between ‘seen’ and ‘unseen’ and repositions it as an active choice to either ignore or acknowledge the struggles of others."
The two large works on panel, 'Why Do You All Look Away' and ‘Mycelium Delirium (We Are All Interconnected)’ seek to pull the viewer into the psychedelic storm of figures, with each character so engrossed in their own life that they are unable and unwilling to connect with others, address the plea for help, and see the big picture that is unfolding around them.
These works seek to represent the individuals and communities that are falling through the cracks in the system, with their cries for help ignored and unheard by the government and those around them. If only we would care to check in on each other, reach out a hand to assist a stranger – the world would be a better place.
Both of these works took over 65 hours to complete, with the artist employing an ‘automatic drawing technique’, taking marker to board without a second thought, intuitively creating a rich tapestry of individuals, completely engrossed in their own tiny universe.
These works seek to offer the viewer a gentle reminder that we are stronger together, and if only we would galvanize as a community, focus on locality and sustainability, we would stand a much better chance of surviving both the pandemic, and the unfolding, undeniable climate crisis.
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