A seven-letter word for art

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In our limiting of cognition, we deny the full spectrum of the mind. We disavow the existence of aberrant thoughts towards the ends of anonymous complacency. We willingly tread on eggshells and heartily compliment the Emperor's new clothing. The simple truth is that reality is sloppy, careless, difficult and aimless. It is a chaotic organism, and it is all we have. Our assumptions about our shared systems of thought and action are dangerously misleading, and our constructed reality must be questioned in order for us to exist as more than petty drones. My work incites this act of questioning in a disquietingly humorous manner. By challenging the tenets of communal acceptability within fine art, I prompt continued acts of questioning beyond the domain of fine art. I utilize a combination of pragmatism and eccentricity to blur the perceived distinction and categorization of thought and reality. In realizing moments of personally whimsical insight within controlled structures, I influence the viewer to simultaneously accept both logic and absurdity. This paradox fundamentally restructures the perception of cognition in an amiable manner, as my work employs a sly charm that renders this restructuring approachable to all. This approachability reduces the feeling of separation that would render my endeavors as simply aberrant, or fundamentally estranged. In this capacity, my work retains an insidious quality, a careful guile, which instigates the critical scrutiny of our shared reality.--From public.pdf