Artist Statement
The timing of creating The Exception and the Rule fell, by coincidence, within a few days surrounding Hugh Heffner’s passing on September 27th, 2017. Although the conjunction of these events made this piece timely, the intent is social commentary on systematic structures of power, exploitation, and commodification of bodies that go beyond the influence of Playboy Enterprises. This digital piece exists in a critical dialogue with classic tropes in art—animals and sexualized female bodies—but with a grungy and perhaps darkly humorous tone. Here, a surrealistic juxtaposition and the tempo of the auctioneer’s call form an active hybrid creature with ceaseless movement for the viewer to consume.