When making this piece, I was overtaken by a fear of nuclear annihilation. Painting it helped me to process and understand my anxieties related to imperialism, human nature, and the futility of conflict.
“Bigger Fish” depicts a mushroom cloud exploding into a violent feeding frenzy of abominable creatures. At the same time, the silhouette takes upon the appearance of a human profile. The fish are painted in the shape of a brain, representing an override of our baseline instincts in favor of animalistic, senseless violence.
The largest fish tears into a smaller fish feasting on a yet smaller fish. It’s all an endless, pointless cycle of survival. I am most fearful that many are forgetting that cooperation is our most basic human instinct, not violence. But, perhaps, after mutually assured destruction, this is a snapshot of what will be left: a writhing mass of pure id.
