CORED

The Assassination of Osama Bin Laden
by Catherine Tafur
Photo credit:
Catherine Tafur

An open reception with artist Catherine Tafur will be held on October 25^th at The Porter Contemporary Gallery in New York City(The Porter Contemporary) to celebrate the opening of the contemporary art exhibit CORED(Examiner) . The Gallery, launched in 2006, showcases “emerging and established artists from around the world whose work embodies both skill and risk taking.” To call Tafur’s new exhibit risky would be an understatement.

The political paintings are centered on violence, death, and madness, both nationally and abroad, relays Tafur’s take on recent events, including a piece labeled The Assassination of Osama Bin Laden. This piece alone has created a lot of controversy by depicting the twin towers collapsing, an angry President Obama, President Kennedy with a bullet in his head, and biblical references. Tafur also includes works surrounding the politics and revolution in Egypt, suitably titled Revolution, using her themed one eyed creatures to create a scene of the common man fighting against oppression. “The piece is about rage and the nature of heroism, and the exhilaration of the moment when a system is taken down,” explains Tafur.

Revolution (2011)
by Catherine Tafur
Photo credit:
Catherine Tafur

Ms. Tafur, born in Peru, has been exhibiting her narrative contemporary pieces since 2003. Most of her works surround themes of defilement and psychological damage, using mutilated, confrontational figures listlessly searching for a sense of connection with the world and other people. Believing that “evil hides behind normality,” Tarfur presents scenes which connect to the dark side of human nature and forces audiences to question if they would remain humane in moments of fear and uncertainty (Catherine Tafur Website).

In today’s art world, more and more young audiences are being drawn to the radical and controversial opinions seen in entertainment and art. Tafur’s take on Osama’s Assassination recreates a story, used in American as a symbol of freedom and victory, and realistically uses dark and gory tones to surrounded the theme of death. Most Americans have glorified the act of killing in order to show their contempt for the man they blame for thousands of deaths. In reality, by seeking our revenge, we have created more death and angst and see the world through only one point of view, perhaps manifested in the use of her figures’ cyclops eyes.

By: Elizabeth Doragh