Here are a few pics from Geisai #3 in Taipei – my theme was “irreligious iconography” so I did some simple pop-culture icons and celebrities using antique religious icon frames from Cuzco, Peru. My paintings were very popular – everybody turned the corner, smiled or laughed, then grabbed their friends to come take a look.

  Sponge Bob, Domo, Adultery = Fine art? This is for an upcoming show titled “Fetish”. I like how it’s cute and dirty at the same time. Although I did it just for fun, it really gets a strong reaction (which is always good). Please share if you like it!

“Skinny” 皮包骨 – 71x9cm – Oil on Canvas, 2010 A perfect “Hour Glass” figure – and yet it is obviously distorted and perverse. How thin is ‘too thin’? How much pressure, both internal and external, is put on women to lose weight in order to be considered beautiful? This painting highlights the self-consciousness of ‘bathing suit anxiety’. 一個完美的「沙漏」人物，可是身材卻明顯地歪曲且不合常理。瘦到什麼程度才叫做「太瘦」呢？為了看起來美麗，不知道有多少的內在和外在壓力讓女性開始減肥。這幅畫強調的是「泳衣焦慮」的自我意識。 Oil on Canvas Surrealism Oil Painting by Derek Murphy www.derekmurphyart.com

“Endangered Species” 瀕臨絕種物種- 117x91cm- Oil on Canvas, 2010 Asian mermaid in a lunchbox, paired with disposable chopsticks. This painting draws attention to the fact that we are literally eating ourselves out of our home, not only by exhausting the natural food supply, but also through our disposable eating habits, which create enormous excesses of waste and garbage. 午餐盒裡的亞洲美人魚，還配有一雙免洗筷。這幅畫讓我們注意到一件事，由於我們都在外用餐，不只逐漸耗盡天然食物，再加上用完即丟的飲食壞習慣，糟蹋了大量食物也產生大量垃圾。 Oil on Canvas Surrealism Oil Painting by Derek Murphy www.derekmurphyart.com

“Lamb Chop ” 血浴- 127x97cm- Oil on Canvas, 2010 A.k.a. “Criobolium” – a poor man’s taurobolium; involves the slaughter of a sacred animal, and the ritual bathing in its blood. The death of the animal was supposed to take away sins – it died in the place of a human in order to satiate the bloodthirsty gods. The blood of the animal was used to wash away remaining sins. These practices were common in the Roman empire; Criobolium in particular was used in the worship of Attis and the Great Mother. The ancient ritual continues, albeit in symbolic form, in …

“Sacrifice” 犧牲- 127x97cm- Oil on Canvas, 2010 Mixed media using real Taiwanese ‘ghost money’. The kid and his dog are dressed up as chickens using the paper money; there’s a happy contrast between the dour, unpleased kid and his dog’s expressions and the surprise of the chicken costume. Mr. KFC is actually a Chinese guy wearing a KFC costume – he’s holding a can of kerosene and a lighter with a gleeful expression. All is set to go up in smoke. Interpretations: forcing children into roles/lifestyle that don’t suit them, dressing them up as dolls for the pleasure of adults, …

“Mary Doody” 傀儡- 50x61cm- Oil on Canvas, 2002 Classical ‘Madonna and Child’ by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, but with Jesus as a howdy-doody puppet. Just who is in control of Christianity? It’s masculine forms of hierarchy – the triune male God – have led some to argue there is no place for women within its fold. Mary alone, in the Catholic tradition, is worshiped as divine, ‘mother of god’. Does the woman who bore Christ have any power or influence, or is she immediately silenced by deferring to her son? This piece problematizes the gender issues inherent in Christianity. 威廉阿道夫布羅格的經典作品《聖母與聖嬰》，只是耶穌以胡迪都迪玩偶的外型呈現。基督教是在誰的掌握之下？基督教中的階級制度以男性為主（三位一體的男性神祇），這讓許多人認為婦女在基督教信徒中是沒有地位的。 基督教傳統上認為瑪麗亞有如神明般受到景仰，是位聖母。耶穌基督的母親有任何力量或影響力嗎？或者因為她順從自己的兒子而無法表達自己心聲？這幅畫作對基督教的性別議題提出質疑。 Oil …

“Conservation” 對話- 117x81cm- Oil on Canvas, 2009 A bizzare twist on the recycling motif. Taking long hot showers is a comfortable habit of Western indulgence that wastes both water and energy. How many times can the water be cleaned, processed, purged and reused? Will our pursuit of sterilization and personal cleanliness lead to our own ruination? Would taking less showers paradoxically be the ‘clean’ choice? Oil on Canvas Surrealism Oil Painting by Derek Murphy www.derekmurphyart.com

“Horny” 性飢渴- 117x91cm- Oil on Canvas, 2009 An Asian girl clutching the hem of dress coyly, is surrounded by the eager advances of two traditional temple door guards. Trapped in the gender role of sexual provider and dressed for the part, she seeks an alternative position. 一位亞洲女孩羞怯地抓住裙擺，身旁還有兩尊門神熱切求愛。這女孩落入皮條客所設的圈套而穿的跟應召女郎一樣，試圖想要脫離這處境。 Oil on Canvas Surrealism Oil Painting by Derek Murphy www.derekmurphyart.com

“One More Cup” 來一客- 130x180cm- Oil on Canvas, 2009 One More Cup – spinoff from Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Emerging from a cup of instant noodles, holding a pair of chopsticks, this girl represents modern life on this planet. Our ‘fast-food’ culture is quickly destroying our ability to sustain our living – we are consuming ourselves and eating away at our own future. Nearby Heineken bottle represents willful ignorance and turning a blind eye to such problems, drowning ourselves in instant gratification. 來一客－衍生自波迪切尼的作品《維那斯的誕生》。從泡麵杯中出現的女孩手拿一雙筷子，象徵地球上現代的生活。「速食」文化正快速地讓我們無法生活穩定，因為我們正在消費自己、啃蝕著我們的未來。附近的海尼根酒瓶象徵我們有意忽視這類問題，而且還視而不見，反倒把自己沉浸在一時的愉悅當中。 Oil on Canvas Surrealism Oil Painting by Derek Murphy www.derekmurphyart.com