Katie Butler

Region: MFA Annual


Calling upon the tradition of still life painting, this body of work uses food and domestic settings to subtly address contemporary political issues. These unsettling tablescapes subvert the technical norms of the still life genre from the 17th century to comment on wealth and power in current American politics. Illogical shifts in perspective disorient the painting space; sharp knives loom above eye level as exaggerations in scale and tight compositions fuel the tension. Moments away from being gutted, filleted, and consumed, fish and crustaceans stare at the viewer with anxious eyes. These paintings question who the feast is for—and who is paying the tab.