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My work parodies events and comments on attitudes that are present in the history of Western culture. I have created a History using a race of Fishheads whose traditions and ways of life are similar to those of Western civilization. Through my invented culture, I explore the way art and communication is used to effect our perceptions of truth and in turn create the subjective stories we call History.

I am interested the issues that give rise to societal conflicts and the absurd actions that these societies take in order to further themselves. Borrowing from Western Civilization's history, I have a wealth of criticisms to pull from beginning with the events, to how they have been perceived, and then how they have been recorded.

The works I have created are mock historical artifacts. My narrative relies on the interaction of two Fishhead sects that grew to be enemies through the basal conflicts of jealousy, greed, superiority and self-righteousness. Each sect's values and attitudes are conveyed through the artifacts they have left behind. Through the constructed sense of hindsight, one would hope that the viewer recognizes the overall absurdity of their conflicts and solutions. Further, one gets to see the use of art as a medium for propaganda; a tool that is used to further each culture's beliefs. The pieces themselves represent the point of views that the victors or victims wish to display as truths of their situations. The question of what is truth is fundamental to how we perceive and retell our own history. But truth is not always candid. Some truths are merely opinions that are supported by a consensus. Sometimes even blatant lies can be assumed as true if presented with enough air of authenticity. Authenticity itself can be the only defining factor of what is truth, especially for art. That artifacts and relics maintain sacredness in our culture stems from their undisputed position as representations of historical truth. For the viewer, seeing those pieces in the context of a museum-like setting only reinforces their place on the altar of truth. By exploiting that cultural attitude with the framing and presentation of my own pieces, I am addressing the issue of how art, and the content it carries, can become truth through presentation.

Kathleen Kowal
02.11.05
Revised 08.26.06