ARTIST STATEMENT
The landmark case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, is an affront to case law precedent and to a woman’s right to choose. Women should never again have to resort to wire hangers, knitting needles, crochet hooks, scissors, arsenic, bleach, and back-alley abortions, which all too often have resulted in severe health issues and death in the past, because they are unable to procure quality, safe, and affordable medical care in their state. Whether she’s choosing to terminate her pregnancy for personal or medical reasons, the decision should be hers to make.
The thoughts were racing through my mind as I created this piece and there are so many avenues of interpretation here, from the colors chosen to the egg carton surface and even the placement of the dripping blood. The cardboard egg crates, of course, immediately bring eggs to mind, here, human. But why black? The color of the SCOTUS robes, death, dark money, dark minds of the far-right conservative justices controlling the Court, Dark Ages. The placement of the dripping blood mostly in the upper right quadrant reminds us that the far-right Court will be responsible for senseless bleeding and deaths.
And the two simple words “never again” are a call to action so that we never forget what’s at stake here if we can’t codify Roe v. Wade into law; if we can’t purge our highest court of paid-for evil far-right justices; if we don’t continue to fight for every woman’s right to choose; and if we don’t vote.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I’m a septuagenarian raised in a dirty, polluted steel town on the Ohio River who moved to Pinehurst, NC nearly thirty years ago. My first eight years of life were spent in the countryside with no neighbors, living over the nightclub that my father owned and going to sleep every Friday and Saturday night to live, loud polka music from the dance hall below. With no playmates, my older brother and I had to use our imaginations daily to entertain ourselves, and we started with paint-by-number sets at a very early age. I have always been interested in art and design but never really had time to devote to either while pursuing several degrees (BA, MBA, JD), raising three children, and working. Now I have the time.
My art has primarily been in abstract acrylics, but more recently I’ve taken a liking to things that most people wouldn’t look at twice: dirt, rocks, bottle caps, net fruit bags, broken items, i.e., found objects others would label as trash. I’ve entered five artworks in three competitions and have won Honorable Mention, Second Prize, and First Prize.
One of my biggest accomplishments to date (other than being married for 48 years and raising three compassionate, intelligent, and open-minded children) was my creation of “Dobbs.” When submitted to a local competition, it was greeted with smiles, gasps and clapping. I knew I had created something that elicited quite strong human emotions in total strangers, and I was so totally overwhelmed that I could barely speak. “Dobbs” was damaged twice during the exhibition, was the only art “displayed” on the floor, and was apparently absent during the competition judging with no plausible reason(s) given. People were thinking and reacting strongly, both negatively and positively. For me, that was success!
© Adam D. Piergallini