The Bellflower Thief

Acrylic on Canvas

36 x 36 in​

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The Bellflower Thief balances between the solidity of a torso statue and the presence of a living body. It carries the weight of permanence while suggesting vulnerability and transience, like flowers that wilt. The title points to both beauty and violation, something taken or consumed, and refers to John Currin’s 2010 painting The Dogwood Thieves and the bright pink book that details his process. Both works trace back to images from a lingerie magazine, stolen and transformed until detached from the women they once portrayed. Here, theft exposes the fragility of ownership and embodiment. Bodies and images can be consumed, remade, and estranged from their origins. The painting reflects on this instability, showing the body as both image and presence, object and subject, fractured yet alive.