Steven Avalos

Artist Statement

The three paintings here are allegories, inspired by literature, personal experience and social/political crises : 1) "Michel Foucault Enjoys His Rothkos" is a visualization of one the philosopher's views that power not as "an oppressive system bearing down on individuals from above, " but "a set of relations [...] between two free subjects, and this relation is unbalanced, so that one can act upon the other, and the other is acted upon, or allows himself to be acted upon." 2) Climate change played a significant role in the demise of the Aztec empire: drought, crop failures, famine, war, and a violent and decadent belief system. "A World on the Brink of Darkness" depicts human sacrifice to Huitzilopochtli, the god of war (based on Aztec codices). Outside, an encroaching darkness over a barren landscape. 3) "Babylon Beach Party: Was There No Alarm" places an infant at the periphery of the existential threat of climate change. The lions are emblems of ancient Babylon, whose demise was contributed to by climate change and its consequences. In the background are the adults, distracted, seemingly unalarmed

https://stevenavalos001.wixsite.com/distracted-art/selected-work.