Darth Yeah, the manic eye of Napoleon’s rearing stallion, the floating chrome balloon dog, Darth’s sinister helmet, and a rainbow flag cape. It’s witty, it’s serious, it’s grotesque, it’s ridiculous,...
Darth Yeah, the manic eye of Napoleon’s rearing stallion, the floating chrome balloon dog, Darth’s sinister helmet, and a rainbow flag cape. It’s witty, it’s serious, it’s grotesque, it’s ridiculous, it’s intriguing….and it compels the viewer to imagine the story. Ralf’s surrealist, pop art montages are intentionally theatrical, he brings iconic fragments together in a new context with hints at social and political themes. This piece is about courage, bold, brash confidence in a nonsense world.
There are numerous symbolic references, some obvious, some ambiguous, some personal hidden all over this artwork. Constants in Ralf’s work are ‘jacks’, a centuries old game, which symbolises ‘pure play’- Ralf calls the jack a ’Spooknik’. And of course Ralf himself, the Cairn Terrier is hidden in every artwork.