MICHAEL COSTELLO /// GODS AND MONSTER
"No object is so ugly that, under certain conditions...it will not look beautiful, no object is so beautiful,under certain conditions, it will look ugly" Oscar Wilde
“Gods and Monsters” are influenced by the writings of Umberto Eco “The History of Beauty” and “On Ugliness”. The work speaks of the marginalization of the individual in a society based on esthetic. It is part of our cultural heritage, both philosophical and theological to acquaint all that is good with beauty and also to acquaint all that is beautiful with levels of whiteness. Due to the medieval concept that God is clarity and thus visualized as white, the cult of the celluloid goddess with her palette of paleness becomes the angel of sex.
These paintings are an unbiased presentation of those who would be called “Gods and Monsters.” Masks, wigs, wax lips and prosthetics hide the identity of the individual and at the same time recall to us the fashion of the modern world to break beauty down into a collection of body parts.
As gods or monsters, these beings are meant to inspire empathy for our universal humanness whether or not they horrify or titillate.
☁ MICHAEL COSTELLO
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