For his first New York solo show, Christopher Maschinot presents a new series of large-scale figurative vessels on the classical themes of desire, sex and death, forging a lustful new path into the territory of mythological archetypes. A loose lexicon of characters has been present in the artist’s work for several years, but now he has transformed it from an assortment of isolated and enigmatic individuals, into a cohesive symbolic cast within an evolving narrative.

In the form of bust-shaped vessels and mask-like visages that emerge from vessels, Christopher presents his characters as symbolic archetypes by depicting them as boldly graphical icons. His storyline is populated by characters that embody the Hunter/Hunted dichotomy; each is either one or both. Animal horns on human heads, and armor-like skins are recurring motifs. Iconic symbols, including the phallus, the forbidden fruit and the all-seeing, ever-seeking eye, round out the cast. Each work, as well as their relative scale and proportions, evoke chessboard pieces, an invitation for the viewer to form the narrative through placement of the characters.

- Damon Crain