Menagerie is an exploration themes of masculinity both in the context of nature and nurture through large/medium scale charcoal/graphite drawings of animals. These images address my fascinations, concerns, discomforts, and in some sense awe with the Western masculine norms and meaning. Ever since humans have created art, animals have been vessels for ideals of manhood and power. These drawings seek to continue this conversation while simultaneously questioning heteronormative notions of reaching a state of masculinity. Tackling themes such as power distribution, aggression, fertility, and the role of the "bread winner", these works looks to question these long standing notions on what it means to be a man and how those ideals might be changed in the future to encompass a wider range of emotions and human themes.
