Community is a subjective thing. Merriam Webster defines it as people living in the same area or sharing a common trait or interest. That's pretty broad, as it is, but artist Jon Goldman wants us to go one step further and take the "people" part out of the equation.
His Aphoristic Extinctions project is a collection of portraits of endangered species in India ink. The paintings are stark - a rhinoceros in profile, a large gorilla, hunkered down and staring viewers in the face - in every case, a single animal appearing to float on a plain white background. Goldman says that ink drips visible in some of the portraits were originally accidents, but he was struck by their likeness to blood drips, and so they stayed.
The portraits are displayed without captions. Goldman says his goal is to evoke an emotional response, and words - particularly factual, scientific language - can distance us from strong emotions, like fear.
He makes one exception to his no words policy: the pithy, irreverent titles he gives his works. There's “Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla," "Horny as a Rhino," "We are the Walrus," and a rabbit entitled "My Own Personal Harvey." Goldman says his goal is to use humor and irony to heighten viewers' awareness.
Alexandra Delis-Abrams has a similar goal, but her audience and tactics are a bit different. Delis-Abrams is an