The 5 Evils, 2002
This print series was inspired by the book, God's Last Offer, by Ed Ayres. (1999 Four Walls, Eight Windows). There are 10 in the series and they were printed as unique impressions in Washington, DC in 2002.
In Ayre's book, he presents statistical information of 4 primary increases on planet earth and their consequences to all life. They are human population, carbon dioxide (as result of fossil fuel burning), consumption of resources, and extinction (of non-human species).I was so affected by this book that I wanted to incorporate these concepts into my visual cosmogony, including a fifth enactor, war. I completed 2 variations of each theme resulting in the 10 images.These characters were dubbed the 5 evils as if from the standpoint these are forces in the universe bent on destroying humankind and all life on this planet. (While in fact these circumstances are our own doing and our own manifestations, extensions of ourselves, and ultimately are part of our cultural methodology we will have to change if we are to survive.) Civilizations have always developed creative ways to destroy their enemies. What is to happen if these new enemies, these 5 evils, are part of civilization's very workings and processes?