Description
Koren’s instinct is to bring his creatures together, to set them on a common stage, a social space. The four-legged beasts of his zoological whimsy gather naturally in a museum-of-natural-history diorama, grazing in an accommodating landscape or perched high on a natural platform. Their direct confrontation of the artist/viewer suggests that our presence has somehow disturbed the social cohesion of the herd; again, titles confirm response or social bonding. In these dioramas, creative fantasy begins with the great horned and antlered masks that stare out at the visitors to this imaginary museum; bodies are then added, literally extending these isolated visages into a shared space, which is then articulated as landscape.
It is not surprising that Koren has spent time studying the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History, where the relation between the modeled and painted backdrops and the animals “on stage” is critical to our understanding of the groups’ habits.
Details
- Work Date:
- 1987
- Dimensions:
- 30 x 42 1/4 inches
- Medium:
- Pen and India ink on gray BFK Rives paper
- Credit Line:
- Courtsey of the artist