visual art usually has a large pull on me, especially pieces with gripping imagery. “subtle abuse” was inspired studying francis bacon’s triptych "three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion". those paintings evoke how i feel, misunderstood. the critic’s reception at the premier was harsh, i’m sure bacon felt misunderstood as well. the figures look so desperate, and it’s difficult for me to see things denied. it’s like they’re wax and they’re going to melt when the light returns, and melt away into the cracks of the earth. to me, melting wax statues seem like an epithet to belittlement. I can’t help but scream when I see them denied as they are.