Discriminate....Discriminate....Discriminate
With the advent of 9/11 and the subsequent occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq by coalition forces, Stan Korytnyj decided to adopt the theme of ‘Culture At War’ as a vehicle for his painting agenda.
In 2003 Stan Korytnyj was tentatively optimistic about the wave of political change in the Middle East. The explosion of Islamic refugees into the West and the melding of Islamic and Christian values would form a vibrant social tapestry of multiculturalism. He saw the burqa-clad women and the turbaned men bringing with them the might of an ancient culture.
Stan’s optimism eventually faded to melancholy and numb depression. The scourge of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib’s clandestine interrogations had come to light. The casualty lists mounted due to increased skirmishes and suicide bombings and in Sydney, the suburban beaches exploded with race riots.
Stan continued to immerse himself in his art but his work suffered a cancerous transformation. The light-hearted token realism (Pope Benedict, Cathy Freeman Nun-Doll) was followed by tortured hallucinatory visions and nightmares. (Mother of Ali Abbas Cries for Help, Convulsing Monster in Detention Cell, Dead Marine’s Ghosts Boarding Helicopter Gun-Ship.)
That which was initially uplifting artistic expression gradually spiralled into Stan’s personal painting curse. The irresistible compulsion to lay paint on canvas was a futile attempt to exorcise the demons of 'Culture at war'. The 50 paintings and drawings to be exhibited at the BDAS gallery in Bowral New South Wales is a retrospective body of work resulting from the effort of the last seven years. (2003-2009)
