Shrine of the Piggies (The Pigs Hog It All and Defecate and Piss on Where From They Get It and With Whom They Will not Share. That's It) 2000

Jo Baer made this painting, "Shrine of the Piggies," and wow, it’s like she’s channeled some raw, unapologetic energy onto the canvas! The earthy colors and those unexpected, wandering lines—they're practically vibrating with life! I love the flatness and the way it seems to float. You know, when I look at this, I kinda imagine Baer wrestling with some big ideas about, well, you know…privilege? I bet she was thinking about art history too. About all the old boys who had their say… So here she is taking on formalism, but with this sly wit, this punk rock attitude. She's not afraid to get messy, to question, to provoke. And in that process, she invites us to do the same. That's what paintings can do! They speak to each other, to us, across time. They're these little portals of thought, feeling, and possibility.