Jonathon Poliszuk earned his BFA in Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland and operates Pellinore Press in partnership with Ursula Minervini.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My Tripvine series of comics and prints explores a proxy society as a view of our own culture and relationship to each other and our environment. When creating this work I adopt the position of an anthropologist learning about a foreign culture.
Uprooted depicts the discovery and laborious excavation of a geological, possibly organic formation. The narrative concludes with the formation disengaging from the ground and floating into the air. We don’t know the intent of the excavators: was it unearthed because it is dangerous and needs to be released to be disposed of, valuable but something went awry in the excavation, and/or it has some form of consciousness and leaves of its own accord. This ambiguity invites contemplation of our interactions with nature and technology.
Whether by code, taboo, or as protection from an environmental collapse, the inhabitants wear helmets that enforce a homogeneity. This creates distance from the viewer but also a relatability through anonymity. This distance reinforces a focus on society as a whole rather than individual characters.