inevitability 2020

Alex Gross made this, "inevitability," and what is painting but the ability to be somewhere else? I feel like this work is about the freedom to bring together disparate elements. You have Thanos, Baby Yoda, the Easter Bunny, and an acid trip all hanging out together. I can imagine Alex Gross beginning this painting with one element, maybe the bee, and building it out from there, each element suggesting the next. Painting is as much about accidents, surprises, and mistakes as it is about intention. Here, the artist doesn't care about good taste or the right imagery. In fact, the very meaning of the work lies in its unusual combination of images and ideas. The painting embraces the idea that art can be anything and include everything. It’s just a big conversation, art. Every artist is talking to other artists, both alive and dead, riffing off each other, inspiring each other.