Kris Kuksi is an American artist in the genre of Fantastic Realism.
Kuksi’s influences include the Baroque and Rococo periods. He has
described how he feels more in belonging to the ‘Old World’ and that his
artwork is very much a reaction to “the corrupt and demoralized fall of
modern-day society – a place where new beginnings, new wars, new
philosophies, and new endings exist.”In an interview, Kuksi named
Bernini, Bosch and Bruegel as some of the artists he admired and was
influenced by saying, “Nothing beats landscapes of hell, twisted
contorted figures, hedonism, and flowers sprouting from anuses.”[1]
At times, the artist’s work presents its audience with a jarring
discomfiture of imagery, which hints at a disquieting future. A sense of
loss features often, mirroring the loss felt at the death of a loved
one or at the removal of civil liberties. Regarding the latter, Kuksi
has warned of related dangers such as the rise of fundamentalism or
dictatorship.Also at issue, according to the artist, is the effect of
people themselves on the Earth’s natural resources. Kuksi has described
how the world is ”Overpopulated, losing precious resources,
de-moralized, and polluted. If the Earth were a person she would be
quite ill, infected with a sickness known as humanity.”Referring to
religion, he has suggested that an attachment to the apocalyptic “end
times” described in the biblical Book of Revelation may result in
humanity causing such prophesies to become self-fulfilling.Kuksi has
said that “…humanity is doomed if they can’t see the result of repeated
historical rise and falls. Perhaps it is as simple as we just aren’t
smart enough to save ourselves.” [1]
Images Courtesy of [Kris Kuksi]
