COMFORT ANIMALS

Woman with Goat and Surgical Mask, 2018, oil and glue mixed with pigment on linen, 40 x 40 inches

Fat Cat, 2020, oil and glue mixed with pigment on linen, 23 x 23 inches

Angry Little Pig Eyes, 2020, oil and glue mixed with pigment on linen, 40 x 29 inches

Odalisque, 2019, sumi ink on Arches oil paper, 12.25 x 16 inches

Comfort Animals depicts pets and purebreds as the epitome of status, wealth, and the decadence inherent in having immediate access to anything all the time, even living creatures. Some of these animals do not move independently as spirit animals but are reduced to commodified reflections of ourselves while others retain autonomy despite being “owned.”

Themes of self-indulgence, celebrity worship, feminism, and how women are portrayed in popular media all provide cause for the artist to ultimately turn a cracked mirror on herself.  Kennedy uses humor to lighten these personal pre-occupations; she incorporates over-the-top fashion to at once heighten disparities between one’s external adornment vs. psychological self while injecting absurdity into what would otherwise be fully unsettling scenes.

Hearts and Bones exhibition with Judy Pfaff at Art100 gallery, New York, NY