Label Type
DidacticLabel
Eric Ondina (b. 1988)
Idle Shrine, 2023
egg tempera emulsion on canvas
51 x 71 x 2 in.
Gift of the artist, 2023.7.1
In this scene of pomp and ceremony, Ondina invites us into a dreamlike interpretation of a Shriners parade. Asleep at the wheel in his tiny car, one Shriner endangers the others who naively march onward carrying flags and an AR-15. With thunderous, gestural strokes in the sky and colors reminiscent of an explosion, the artist uses symbols of the past and present to allude to gerontocracy and decay within the United States.
Referencing this painting in his Oral History Interview, Ondina remarks: “How tragic is it that instead of boundless fields, we have predatory payday advance stores now.”
This work of art is a part of the HCC Permanent Art Collection. The HCC Art Galleries, through their Campus Loan Outreach Program, seek to share original art by collecting a diversity of works for the education and enjoyment of the HCC Community.