We search for subjects that are symbolic and iconic by nature and yet diverse in their perception. War, media commercialization, religious turmoil, environmental destruction and human suffering, typically all occur outside of 'normal' western experiences, yet we partake in their causes by daily ignoring their effects.

Coexisting during a century in which our growing populous is becoming increasingly desensitized to images of violence, suffering and ostentation — in large part due to mass produced advancements in technology, which have provided a needless and overzealous supply of media and communications. We take aim at the corporate, religious and political institutions and symbols that have provided a mundane and often fallacious comfort to most of our culture. A comfort void of independent, evolved and creative thought. A comfort based upon assumed ideals and encouraged and rewarded consumption. A comfort that is particularly galling when contrasted with current world events.

Through processes of dissection, reconstruction, juxtaposition, rebranding and satire, we strive to alter our milieu, through a critical and redefined palette of iconography. The images we create are metaphors for the social dilemmas facing our existence; they are a record of our blind eye, our bandwagonesque consumption and our social ignorance. The compositions document and analyze trusted establishments with the understanding that we cannot successfully move forward without fully comprehending where we’ve been.

Rushton Phillips, January 2010