Island of the Damned

Sisetski, Paul (1993)

Paul Sisetski graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1989. The resemblance of Sisetski's work to early 20th-century European Expressionist painting has often been noted. Yet with Island of the Damned Paul Sisetski abandons the Grand Tradition. The works from this series, never exhibited previously, make clear the urgency of the artist's moral stance. They are roughly executed and scrawled with text, fusing biblical references with a Marvel Comics drawing style, and a Punk-like disregard for protocol. For Sisetski, Island of the Damned represents an extended and fragmented parable on the predicament of the Handicapped in a world controlled by "Normals." "I need to be rude to avoid being ignored," is his comment. Sisetski has cerebral palsy, and his work is about the social stigma that attached to his condition while he was growing up in a small farming community. His personal experiences have acquired a political edge, and he is committed to thematizing and foregrounding, rather than glibly "overcoming" his differentness.

Curator: Ingrid Jenkner
Description: 20 pages; 9 b&w, 4 colour
Essay: Chester Pelkey, Ingrid Jenkner
ISBN: 0-920085-62-8

Retail Price: $8.00
Wholesale Price: $6.00
RPL Call Number: 709 DUNLO