Altar kulture
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[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SYSTEM AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] My thesis artworks are a result of bringing disparate approaches together into a unique combination of Kustom Kulture processes and Fine Art perspectives. This unique, historically based structure forms a bridge between two very different, often polarized, worlds. I am taking processes, subject matter, and surfaces from Kustom Kulture and using them to comment on the issue I see of people looking for answers, comfort, knowledge, and truth in places that it really doesn't exist. The images I create bring imagery from Kustom Kulture, including subtle amounts of sarcasm and large amounts of appropriation, and place them on items in the fashion of traditional allegorical altarpiece imagery. The inclusion of automotive supports and mediums, along with other found objects, provides an avenue for the discussion of works that would normally exist outside of a fine art environment. Given that many people in the Kustom Kulture world place craft at a higher level of importance than concept, I have constructed my works with a mindset that I am building these pieces to be placed in a highly competitive custom car show. My works utilize the tradition of vanitas painting and altarpiece references, putting a custom interpretation on them, relying heavily on my understanding of car culture. The imagery I have chosen is meant to be a direct substitution of Kustom Kulture iconography for their traditional fine art counterpart. I attempt to embed a moral message within the imagery that I have developed from common imagery used in car customization. Through visual gags, hidden messages, and counterintuitive appropriations of historical imagery, I maintain the sarcastic tone often seen in Kustom Kulture. The techniques "filling and smoothing" and supports "hoods and body panels" I use come directly from Kustom Kulture. Ultimately, I want the works to celebrate Kustom Kulture while using its kitschy and ironic qualities to highlight concerns I have about the contemporary world. Material objects being revered, created items being placed in a position of deity, adoration of desire, are among the topics I will cover.
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M.F.A.
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