Artist Gallery
Erin Kann, 2022
Acrylic paint on canvas
18 x 24
This piece embodies the collective despondence each person feels after spending two years in a constant state of emergency. The robot's wheel treads are worn bare, its bulb is dim, its charge is drained and it is looking for s place to plug in, though there is nowhere in sight.
Sad Robot
Erin Kann, 2018
Oil paint on canvas
18 x 24
This piece sets out to visualize the feeling of anxiety for the artist. The figure's hands are blackened to suggest that they have tried to self-sooth unsuccessfully, and in doing so potentially caused more harm.
Anxious
Erin Kann, 2019
Oil paint on canvas
18 x 24
This oil painting explores the feeling one gets when they are asked to conceal their true self to uphold social convention. The concept of womanhood is a social construct that is imposed upon women as they are often asked to live up to impossible standards and expectations (read: women are expected to conform to the male gaze).
The feminine robot is styled to invoke the classic nuclear family of the 1950s; a time when families clamoured to "keep up with the Joneses" and display a pristine family image to the world.
The robot's bright inner light pours out through its unmasked face and illuminates the area around it as a reminder that the world is made brighter and more colourful by all people who dare to shine their light.
Unmasking
Erin Kann, 2018
Oil paint on canvas
10 x 20
This piece was created as part of a series that aims to depict the invisible feelings of fear, anxiety and sadness, if they were worn on the outside of the body and were visible to onlookers like clothing. The artist explores the idea of wearing a mask, or an outer image that's pleasing for onlookers while bottling up unpleasant or inconvenient truths on the inside. In this piece, the figure is unzipping their outer skin and discarding it as if coming home after a long day and taking off their coat, releasing their true form. The figure's body language indicates relaxation or relief; what's visible of their facial expression is relaxed, their shoulders are back, hands unclenched, and they are taking natural, leisurely steps as if they are releasing their inner self without missing a stride. Maybe this is something this figure does every evening. The artist created this piece to express that in times of personal turmoil, we may feel as if we're living a double life: the life where we go to work and contribute positively in meetings, buy food from the farmer's market, make idle chit chat with passers by on the subway; the life where we're expected to check our personal baggage at the door. And our second life, which we live only when we're in solitude, where our sadness won't ruin the party or disrupt the atmosphere at work. Our second life, where we can let the inner sadness and pain out, is private. The figure is only half undressed of the skin; almost two completely even halves, as the artist reminds viewers that it's important to let those feelings out and that it is normal to feel them and to express them, but to process trauma constructively without allowing sadness, anger or grief to consume you as you heal and... Let It Out.