ARTIST STATEMENT
First Word Disaster uses humor and chaos to explore political conflict and resistance. The painting depicts a lively game of charades, its bright colors masking darker themes—wildfires hint at climate collapse, while a Canadian resist the notion of becoming the “51st state”. The scene critiques how society often treats crises as background noise, distracted by daily activities. First Word Disaster amplifies these tensions, blending satire with urgency to question complicity and the role of art in times of unrest.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Violet Costello (British/Canadian) is an artist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. She received her MFA from Concordia University in Montreal. Her large-scale works often blur the lines between painting, sculpture, and installation, filling spaces with multiple figures. Costello’s painting series Bringing Home Baby received the Procreate Project Mother Art Prize 2020 Online Award with Richard Saltoun Gallery in London. She was a finalist with a work from this series in the 2019 Salt Spring National Art Prize.
© Violet Costello