On The Hook 2020

Kayla Mahaffey made this painting, "On The Hook," sometime in the 20th century, and just look at her way of walking the line between the real and surreal. It's a total process! Mahaffey's got this wild mix of textures and colors all fighting for attention. The kid's face is so real, you almost feel his pain, but then you've got this starfish on his head and a hook in his mouth, plus these cartoony shapes floating all around. The paint is thick and juicy in some spots and then thin and transparent in others. It's like she's not afraid to let us see how she made it. I especially love the way she painted those tears, all shiny and round, but still so sad. And how the whole thing is kind of chaotic and unsettling, like life, right? It makes me think of Christina Quarles who is great at mixing up realism and abstraction to get at something deeper. Art's a conversation, always borrowing and riffing.