“Why the hell are we all protecting the most useless player, and why does he have so much power? The game of chess is a great metaphor. The sides mirror one another, they are literally the same, pieces. The pawns are many, the powerful are few. And the overarching idea, protect the weakest guy, but also, he is a king.... I wanted to reimagine the game of chess more honestly. A short, stout king with no visible weapon other than an idea, religion. A queen who we all know is the most powerful, her weapons pointy and stilted. The knight, bishop, and rook, all quite large, with only singular purposes. And the pawns, usually the youngest soldiers put to the frontlines, are literal babies. Each piece hinges at its waist. When taken by another side, the piece dies, is cracked open, and splat, lays flat with its legs and head up, as though broken in two. Games hide violent seduction. We all want to be powerful and win, don't we?”

Chess Set, Edition of 5

Silver, Enamel, Wood, Garnet Sand, 18K gold, Wool Felt

Premiered during Salon NY, 2022 with Ornamentum Gallery