Escape from New York: Volume 2020, 2021

(Screen print, iridescent oil stick
on canvas)

85 x 55 x 1.5 in
215.9 x 139.7 x 3.8 cm

The biggest story in a year of big stories was the , . In this painting presents an everyman, in the shape of the iconic , facing representations of the scourge. But it's not only the viral pandemic that threatens; he's also surrounded by the viral of trendy brands and . One viral entity threatens his physical life; the other threatens his human . Both are insidious in their approach, and both, when untreated, can cause —one of the body and the other of the soul. The artist leaves us with some regarding the role (and thus our own role) in all of this: Is he being attacked by the viral elements, or is he himself the and of these twin ?

also takes the opportunity here to weave in a subtle suggestion of . Painted in , one of the world's foremost art scholars has said that it represents the universal of modern humanity. That feeling is deeply relatable for those who lived through , a year that made us all want to scream at times. We understand the of screamer: He's trapped like a on a , watched and pursued by an . But he seems to forget in his panic that he is a part of the very forces that are pursuing him. His badge is a bit sullied with the spoils of the hypedemic, yet he bears the trappings of the "" and must therefore have some control over the that are unfolding. If he doesn't, then who does? Who, indeed, is in control after all? invites you to ponder the question well.