Details
The Wiz
Original artwork. 24" x 34" Aerosol, Acrylic, Paper, on Plywood Framed.
The WIZ is my reflection on performance, repetition, and the roles we inherit.
Referencing the Scarecrow from The Wiz through the image of Michael Jackson, the work explores the ways people perform throughout their lives—not only for art or passion, but for acceptance, appearance, and survival within society itself.
The repeated figures mirror one another, suggesting the cyclical nature of human behavior and the tendency to repeat inherited patterns. The inverted central figure disrupts the composition while reinforcing it, implying that perspective changes, but the performance often remains the same.
The scarecrow becomes symbolic of limitation—elevated, visible, and suspended, yet unable to move freely beyond the role assigned to it. The surrounding smiley faces function as social masks, repeating endlessly across the surface like rehearsed expressions of happiness.
Bright neon pink and lime green heighten the tension between attraction and discomfort, seducing the viewer through color while concealing a quieter sense of confinement beneath the surface.
The ornate frame remains intentionally integrated into the work, elevating raw plywood into something theatrical, decorative, and constructed—much like the identities we create ourselves.
Part of the DROP studio body of work.
