The catalogue includes all visual and textual works that are a part of the Engendered Species Exhibitions.

Scott G. Brooks | Washington, DC | artist website

The Resurrection of Miss Rita Fyne confronts gender in a world of fantastical serenity. The influences of Odd Nerdrum and Paul Cadmus can be observed throughout his work but the Washington DC based artist, Scott G. Brooks, brings something new to the table with his subtle yet in-your-face sense of humor. Brooks appears to be grappling with a reality that for most people is seemingly misunderstood or shunned completely: an EnGendered Species.

The Resurrection of Miss Rita Fyne is a play on words, a play on reality, and a play on fantasy. Much like Disneyland, which is another of Brooks’ influences, Miss Rita Fyne is quite possibly in the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Here sits a human being in a moment of redefinition, deconstruction and reconstruction. The being is empowered through a glare that is as inviting as it is menacing. The MOM tattoo on the right arm can be understood as an acknowledgement of this person’s biological origin but the flames echo the destruction of this axiom. Biological redefinitions surface throughout the entire work. The fleshy, supple skin envelops taut, lean muscles while the Band-Aid covered nipples suggest the removal of breasts, yet the choice of hairstyle points towards a manipulated femininity. The cocooned Kewpie doll suspended in uncertainty to the left of the figure awaits redefinition and emergence into this fantastical world of the freedom of true identity. Transcending constraints and restrictions, a multicolored flying Kewpie hovers in its own place in the sky.

- by Marisol Rodarte