Although he is an inter-disciplinary artist, Porkchop has a tendency to focus on large-scale sculptures. Artistically expanding on several mediums alongside sculpture, such as painting, illustration and text, Porkchop manages to evade an attribution to a particular artistic movement or grouping; allowing him to bridge the various forms of art in a highly sophisticated manner. In particular, his familiarity with murals and large scale graffiti art is echoed throughout his body of work, not only due to the momentous size of the installations, but also the discernible juxtaposition of the primary colours that he utilises within his oeuvre- gold, black and white.
From a technical perspective, the sculptures are painstakingly planned and cast. Typically made of resin, fiberglass, gold leaf and acrylic paint, the artist himself creates the molded structures from which a figure can emerge. Consequently, he laboriously adds layers of acrylic paint and real gold leaf to the works, followed by flawless coats of glossy resin, so that the imagined concept can be manifested. The application of paint onto his intentional ritualistic designs is deliberate, as by stripping these pieces of his normal vibrant palette and using only black, white and gold, a stark bold narrative referencing Central American traditions emerges.
It is the artist’s distinct methodology coupled with this unexpected perspective that can be observed throughout his oeuvre, as Porkchop’s works in aggregate seem to simultaneously refer to their Aztec and Mexican influences, whilst parodying them as well. Hence, as opposed to using the male form to embody his vision, he has chosen the female instead. Another element of Aztec artistic practice that is particularly visible in the works of Porkchop is the use of gold. In ancient Americas gold was the manifestation of the sacred due to its inability to deteriorate and hence objects made of gold were a means of connecting to the supernatural world, specifically the world of the dead. Gold was also very closely associated with the sun, as the Aztecs thought that it was an excretion of divine entity, as it closely matched the colour of the sun and was understood to seep out of the earth.
Porkchop is an artist from New Jersey, USA who works across a plethora of mediums from painting, sculpture, acrylic, graffiti, and mural painting. Having graduated with an MFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, he went on to complete a BA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Throughout his work, Porkchop often imbues vintage images with darker and more contemporary elements, which has ensured his commercial success throughout the United States as well as globally. His large-scale murals in particular, as witnessed by the scenes he composed along the Asbury Park boardwalk, (a city in New Jersey), in conversation with the sea, brought him the publicity which elevated his status. These works were respectively titled: ‘Ruthie & Andre’, ‘Sunset Pavilion’, 2016, and ‘Untitled I & II’ created in 2015.
“I am intrigued by every aspect of the art making process; from finding and selecting the subject matter to making the frame and each step in between. Most inspiration for my work comes from retro photography of women. After the selection of the image, I then incorporate additional images and text to create a new story. From piece to piece the story changes, but the female figure is often the main character.” – Porkchop
The artist has also been exhibited extensively in Europe and his works have been published in various albums, such as ‘The Greatest Erotic Art of Today’ Volume 2, ‘Eye Candy’ and ‘I Want your Skull’. In addition to the solo shows at Parlor Gallery and Sansa Art in the USA, he has also participated in a number of group shows nationally and internationally. This is the artist’s first solo show in a museum of this scale.
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