after woodlands: project statement
after woodlands follows Kaufman’s recent photo-based series, Woodlands, in which the human figure is integrated into and coexists with a natural woodland environment. after woodlands looks at our situation within the natural world through a different lens.
The question asked is: after woodlands what? This question looms as a backdrop to a suite of 54 drawings that offer a tapestry of responses to the times we are living in. Little vignettes explore the human condition within an overarching shadow of environmental and societal instability. Intertwined are industrial images that serve as a reminder of the cause of our radically altered environment. Linked thematically, each drawing offers narrative possibilities. Figures, generally isolated, are positioned in a sometimes dynamic, sometimes passive gesture as they strain to comprehend strange and turbulent phenomena. Often on the edge, they struggle with uncertainty, trepidation and powerlessness, but not without protest. Tying these elements together is a loose thread of humour weaving itself through the absurdity of where we find ourselves and what may lie ahead. after woodlands is a series of works on paper. Using soft pastel and charcoal each 8 x 10” drawing is part of an overall 4 x 8’ grid. after woodlands is an ongoing project.