Warm Regards
Mohan Lal Kashyap
The title of Alexis Rockman's recent exhibition at Sperone Westwater gallery in New York was 'Rubicon'. This is a reference to the crossing of the River Rubicon by Julius Caesar with his army in 49BC, once Caesar had crossed there was no way back. The artist uses this as a metaphor for man's interaction with nature, believing that way have changed the natural order irrevocably. The 'Bronx Zoo' artwork depicts an apocalyptic scene in New York, with animals running amok in a flooded zoo.
Bronx Zoo, 2012-2013 (detail)
oil on wood
Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
One animal notably absent from the landscape is man, but the entire scene is taking place in an artificial environment
Detail from Bronx Zoo. Alexis Rockman
Bronx Zoo, 2012-2013
oil on wood
'A zoo is such a mysterious and complicated place to me because it has a sense of wonder, it's a library, it's an ark', explains Alexis. 'It's all these things, and it's also very sad when you think that many of these creatures have no place to go other than a zoo.'
Detail from Bronx Zoo. Alexis Rockman
Bronx Zoo, 2012-2013
oil on wood
The ark theme is further expored in this piece, where the artist imagines a modern ark capsizing and the animals struggling to survive
Alexis Rockman
Ark, 2014
oil and alkyd on wood
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