Michael A. Pierce
It’s all nature.

Artspace Member Spotlight Exhibition
Flynn-Chapman Gallery

June 24 - July 16, 2022

Drawing

“Who doesn’t like a rabbit?” I have asked, knowing full well that there are those who find these images too safe and sweet. Obviously, the image of a rabbit is a loaded image. Rabbits carry symbolic meaning that varies widely and is often contradictory. They are safe, soft, and cuddly and therefore an appropriate symbol for the child in each of us. But they are also fearful, shy, and vulnerable, and sometimes prey for the hunter. At the same time, they remind us of our own sexuality, desire, and abundance speaking to the adult in us. Ultimately, rabbits may symbolically assure us of hope and happiness for the future with new life and new beginnings. The rabbit as trickster and the artist as trickster also play an important part in my work.

In 1950, because they were becoming overrun by rabbits, Australian authorities released the MYXV virus into the wild, cutting the rabbit population by 99%. Within a decade, rabbit numbers were on the rise again as some evolved resistance to this deadly infection and the virus itself became less deadly.

In these pieces, easy evidence and a hint of process is left behind on the paper. I really don’t want to be too careful.