FRED FLEISHER
My work has the feeling of a surreal American road trip - part Terrence Malick film, part pro wrestling match with Walt Whitman in the seats.. soaked in gasoline and a new age gospel. It rides the line between existential overtones and unfailing hope, all unfolding in a cosmic dreamscape.
I use unexpected elements to subvert expectations that are fed to people on a daily basis. The work demonstrates the often-confused psychology of living in a world that makes claims to the primacy of civilization, while seemingly undermining the only world where people can live, where everything lives. I make visible those things that might otherwise go unnoticed while making associations with disparate forms and influences, often found within American society. I combine concepts that seem to be incompatible, tying together the cultural strands of a jumbled tapestry where immersion is unavoidable both now and in the past. I see knowledge and power being sold, manipulated or masked by our own culture of consumption. We are used, yet we are also complicit. My work provides a portal into a Jungian-like unconscious, collective dream state that forces reflection beyond the oft-used humorous elements that it might contain.
I create uncomfortable realizations in a variety of ways, whether through hybrids, alterations, or appropriations. There is an exploration of the pain and struggle that is inherent in the everyday, but often overlooked: mass-production, consumerism, loss, power and indoctrination. There are moments where the cynical collides with the hopeful. Where figures and subjects, placed in unique situations, are activated in the same way people viewed toys, animals and consumables when they were children.
While being grounded in two- and three-dimensional platforms, my work is eclectic. That is by design as I remain open to any and all media that are necessary to achieve my result. Thus, my practice is interdisciplinary and this cross-media methodology finds its way into my paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings, photographs, videos and performances.
