Michael Benevenia

Artist Statment

“Art is the manifestation and communication of personal subjective experiences and ideas derived from the universal subconscious. My art explores the realms of psychological states, dreams, and the potential and control of evil in the human condition. The ugliness of the darker side of human nature inspires the forms and aesthetics of the work. The skeleton is an extremely important element of social iconography. It is associated with death, Halloween, evil, and the past. Drawing on these social schemas I have used this symbol to represent humanity since it forms the building blocks of the human body. This universal icon is stripped bare for the world to see the inner workings of the mind’s darkest emotions. Mania and depression are the two ends of the basic spectrum of human emotion. The ability to control or focus these energies is essential to human social interaction. The figures of my work are alone, unaware of fellow people or accompanied by less than human creatures. Thus my work reflects the failure and lack of control the emotional-psychological spectrum. The inability to control ones psyche leads to suffering and disillusionment. The characters are trapped in a world of horror and ecstasy I created in order to convey the importance of healthy social interaction and psychological wellbeing. My work is a struggle with the dehumanization of post-industrial society to demonstrate the consequences of failure to suppress instinctual and animalistic actions of the contemporary world.”