"Is This Still Fun?" Series

Is This Still Fun
"Is This Still Fun?" is a 120 x 39 inch stamp-on-canvas artwork that began as a performance piece during the exhibition reception on November 21st, 2024. Towering at 9 feet tall, the M-16 and the contrasting flower motifs emerging from its barrel are composed of over 7,000 individual stamps. This painstaking process, involving thousands of deliberate impressions, speaks to the sheer volume of gun violence occurring in schools. The number 7,000 also evokes the potential destructive force of an automatic weapon, capable of firing thousands of rounds in rapid succession. The artwork compels viewers to consider the immense effort required to address this crisis, even though there is no clear answer as of yet. Embodying the changes we wish to see in the world around us has to be the place we start to create a safer future for all.

Facts of Life
"Facts of Life" a 34 x 35 inch 3-piece intaglio print series with chine collé elements, confronts viewers with the stark reality of gun violence in schools. Framed in stylized black pine wood, the work continues the motif of the M-16 juxtaposed with vibrant red flowers, but here, the imagery is further heightened by the intricate detail and textures of the intaglio process. Through this series, Alex masterfully employs a myriad of contrasting elements—delicate blossoms against cold steel, vibrant colors against somber black—to evoke a profound sense of unease and illuminate the inherent wrongness of children's lives being threatened in their classrooms. "Facts of Life" demands that we acknowledge this harsh truth and challenges us to become agents of change, demanding a safer world for future generations.

School House Glock
"School House Glock", a sculpture crafted from melted Jolly Ranchers and gingerbread, continues the exploration of violence against innocence within my series "Is This Still Fun?" The work features an M-16 formed from candy and encased in epoxy, resting ominously atop a gingerbread schoolhouse. With its classic four walls, windows, and a clock tower perched on a slanted roof, the schoolhouse evokes a sense of nostalgia and tradition. This juxtaposition of childhood materials with a weapon challenges viewers to confront the uncomfortable realities of gun violence within our educational system and to consider how certain aspects within that system may inadvertently contribute to this pervasive issue.