Scooter LaForge Unpacks Hansel and Gretel

Silo6776 Artist Residency and Exhibition Space in collaboration with Kates-Ferri Projects presents "Beef Jerky" solo exhibition by contemporary artist Scooter LaForge curated by Natalie Kates-Ferri on view and by appointment, now through December 6, 2020 in New Hope, Penn.

Artist/Exhibition Statement: "Once upon a time is now! Walking through the gardens of Silo6776, I came across flowers and wild animals. I felt like painting what I saw.

"Deer, rabbits, squirrels, wildflowers -- all my favorites -- ignited a personal narrative. I looked for my old copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. I parted its pages and came across "Hansel and Gretel". Rife with famine, darkness, anddeath, the story's themes unconsciously led to the title "Beef Jerky". I impulsively worked on painting both canvases and objects. Among the feelings that bubbled to the surface, I felt compassion toward the witch holding Hansel and Gretel hostage -- she is blind, after all. In response I painted Saint Lucy, protector of eyes, to give her vision and light. The imagery of the story was referenced and abstracted through the work. Hansel locked in a cage seemed to resonate with today's political climate. Our country can look like a house made of candy, but is it really? The dark side belies the facade. Fairy tales signify highs and lows of life -- magical twists and turns can be seen as intuition's role in providing solutions."

Photography: Ethan Minsker