This work is an homage to the power of language. It is an autobiographical tableau dedicated to The Metropolitan Artists and Poets (MAAPS), an organization I co-founded in the 1980’s. The organization was dedicated to word/image collaboration. A group of writers and artists gathered monthly in John Kelly’s North End loft for evenings of “book assemblings,” poetry reading, performance, and exhibitions. In the video projection the poet Brian George (a regular at the MAAPspace), reads his poem Abraxas. The MAAPS artists and poets were invited to participate in an international mail art event in Ein-Hod Israel. John Kelly and I assembled the 2’ x 28’ electrographic scroll featured here. It is composed of works of copier art and poetry selected from the MAAPS assemblings.

The body is a node at the intersection of the macro- and the micro-biological worlds. It is pierced by an aluminum branching structure, a form common to neurons, trees, and lightning. The body is transparent, its boundaries invaded by medical technology: scanners, fiber-optic cameras, EEGs. A “mental environment” envelopes the figure: digital displays simulate a constant barrage of neural impulses; videos of lightning projected on the wall alternate with a stroboscopically illuminated model created by collaborator Rob Saulnier that suggests, on the one hand, electrical energy, neural pathways, junctions, and foci of attention, and on the other an anxious state of mind.

The history of this piece is long and complex. A fashion photograph published in Harper’s Bazaar served as the original inspiration for the figure, created around 1972. That figure kicked about in my studio for 36 years. Because of her primordial and austere nature, I began referring to her as Eve. My sister Nancy, a Christian fond of Byzantine icons, was acquainted with certain Catholic writings that equate the Virgin Mary with the Eve of Genesis. She created a Byzantine inspired beadwork veil and crown for the figure, transforming it into an icon of Mary, the redeemed Eve. My Eve, inspired by Eros and the fashion industry, was made by a non-believer, thus my statue was redeemed by my sister. Consequently the work has three aspects: Eve of the origin of the world (in the cosmic egg), Eve of the fall, and Eve as Mary.

Marriage: the chains that bind me and the anchor that keeps me steady--one institution I hold sacred.

This is my take on the theme of the dance of life: not as heavy Munch, not as light as Matisse. The two figures sway to the rhythm of the libido while a cosmic moon (borrowed from Goya) looks on with a wry smile.

There are not three men here, but one: Geoff the fool, Geoff the wise man, and Geoff the Buddha. Absent is Geoff the deadbeat —not enough room in the barrel! Who is Geoff? Depends on the time of day or day of the week.

In 2008 I was invited to create a piece for the exhibition War, Madness, and Delusion. I have never been to war. For me war is a mediated abstraction. I could not legitimately depict war because I have not lived it. A man (my surrogate)--detached and resigned—can only contemplate war; peace and war are in a state of tension. He cradles a bowl of oil (causes of war) and above his head is an exploding ball of GI Joes (a popular childhood toy). Death, and inevitable consequence of war, is equally an abstraction for the living, so the meditation could be as much on my own death as that of another.

This installation is a collaborative “visual dialog” between myself and Singaporean photographer Jeremy Chu. We met over a period of five months to discuss topics ranging from childhood memories to universal archetypes. Then, working individually in our studios, we explored these ideas visually and combined them in installations. Our goal was to deepen our interpersonal understanding and bridge the gap in our age, race and nationality.

Fertile sap flows freely in this Dionysus.

Absurd Nature! We get old, the body decays, but the libido, heedless, drives on. A paean to the biological imperative.

Absurd Nature! We get old, the body decays, but the libido, heedless, drives on. A paean to the biological imperative.