Lot 310: Only now do I have the time to fully neglect you, 2004

Only now do I have the time to fully neglect you, 2004
Synthetic fur, wood, fabric, acrylic stuffing, plastic, paper, tape, adhesive, watercolor, ink, gloss and metallic paint and metal hardware. 228 x 116 x 68 in. (579.1 x 294.6 x 172.7 cm) overall. 

  London, Alison Jacques Gallery, erections pointing at stars and angels, 2004

 Alison Jacques Gallery, London

Abandoned in acute emotional states - overindulgence, bodily purging, and elation - Pylypchuk’s cast of characters probe misfortune in search of a cathartic resolution… Pylypchuk’s performers transcend the personal to embody universal feelings of anxiety, doubt, pain, love and desire, all the while trumping sarcasm. When contrasted with touching themes of endearment, shame and joy, his crude material sensibility eludes an ironic or hokey reading. Akin to composing a heartfelt song, Pylypchuk has the unique ability to visually, and with few words, convey that which seems too difficult or awkward for articulation.
Ana Vejzovic Sharp, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, 2006
The work of Jon Pylypchuck is a full frontal embodiment of a childhood entrenched in angst that has spurred a pitch black sense of humour.  His is a work that is ingrained with child-like sensibilities and inspiration from the emotionally ill.  There are underlying themes of removed and strained relationships within the family, in particular the father figure that reccurs in his paintings and installations--this stemmed directly from Pylypchuk’s relationship with his own family. This is a sentiment that is perfectly exemplified in the content of the present lot Only now do I have the time to fully neglect you.  We see a figure intended to resemble the United States President, descending the staircase from his jet greeting his family with the gesture of an raised middle finger. Pylypchuk’s work is not typically so overtly political, making this lot a particularly interesting and loaded statement about the arrogance and incompetence of a particular US leader. The connection that Pylypchk makes between his relationship with his father and politics makes this work interesting on a multitude of levels, as the work becomes deeply personal and universal, playful and confrontational all at the same time.    
When asked in an interview whether he thought of his work as a description of the world as it exists, or as an invention of a world he has made, Pylypchuk replied: “I think that it could go either way. It all has to come from somewhere, and I think most experiences in my life will probably be filtered through and put out this way. I like to think what I am doing is drawing on some weird wellspring of imagination.” (Jon Pylypchuk, from an interview with Robert Enright, A Pressing Weight Through Life, Winnipeg, 2008, p. 46)