King Statue of Liberty Kong

2024

Oil on canvas

137.16 × 114.3 cm (54 × 45 inches)

King Statue of Liberty Kong is based on totemic depictions of NYC, mixing together the classic climax of the 1933 film King Kong with the figure of the Statue of Liberty, arguably the most famous artwork in New York City. This canvas is about fame. The iconic last line in every King Kong film is “It was beauty that killed the beast.” Since watching all the various versions of King Kong since childhood, I have always struggled with how to interpret that single line of dialogue. It could come across as not self-aware. Was it Fay Wray that colonized Kong’s homeland, and brought him to New York in chains? Of course not. Or is it just a statement that attraction is disarming. When one is entranced, they surrender. My painting acts as a cheeky joke on notions of beauty being powerful.