Openings of Canals (2023)

The inside cover of this book assemblage is collaged with a page from game instructions which shows a grid of consecutive numbers with each number encircled. Collaged on top of this is a cartoon etching of a formally dressed girl and boy couple. Also pasted over four of the number circles are comic book clippings of character’s heads. Covering the frame of this piece is a color photo of a beachside resort as seen from out on the ocean at dusk. The centerpiece of this assemblage is a black-and-white reproduction of Bosch’s painting Ship of Fools on a hinged lid which covers an inner compartment. Just below this painting is a caption from a medical book that describes a microscopic picture of bones, “…showing Openings of Canals.” This text provides the title for this art piece. Opening the compartment reveals a set of five tiles collaged with photos of humanoid jaw bones from different stages of human evolution. The inside of the lid is an etching illustration of the gates of Jerusalem. The background of this compartment is a color photo of a sixties-era kitchen and stovetop. The compartment is sided with cylindrical wraps of text from a book on art.