santa works at the mall

I decided to appropriate the image of Santa Claus in one of my paintings and from this I've started a kind of epic narrative of his adventures after he gets lost in the forests and all the animals make him the forest god.

Santa got lost

oil on stretched paper

20''x20''

Santa is a shell. He is whatever you want him to be. He doesn't exist. He exists as a Shaman on Psychedelics. He exists as a Saint. He exists as an old man working at a department store. He exists as St. Nicholas. He exists as Christmas. Exists as advertising. He exists as the forest god.

We are living in a culturally hybrid society. Holidays, language, images, everything is one big mash-up. I'm doing the same in a more direct way with these narratives by collaging pre-existing characters and symbols. I'm remixing, recycling, repurposing.