I particpated in a group show called "Grizzly Proof" at Flux Factory. It was a tribute show for Peter Lynch who created a documentary movie "Project Grizzly". The movie is about a man who became obsessed with the idea of creating a grizzly bear proof suit after "supposedly" being attacked by a grizzly bear in Canadian Rocky Mountain.

One of the moments that I found inspiring in the movie is when Troy talks enthusiastically about his encounter with a bear when he was young. He describes this encounter as if it was a near death experience and he clearly shows strong feelings of fear towards the event, especially since he was attacked by the bear. At the same time I found it interesting that he also refers to the bear as "old man", as if he was overlapping the image of his father with that of the bear.

I find that the way that Troy has created his description of the bear is similar to the way people usually create legends of cryptozoological creatures. What begins as an actual experience can later be processed by individuals as by the society in general into supernatural beings that often reflect complex personal feelings and fears towards nature.

For this show I decided to make a painting to create a visualization of both the frightful and supernatural and as well as the human and fatherly qualities that the bear seems to symbolize for Troy, and just as the image of the actual bear has been appropriated by Troy to become a representation, I tried to add to the bear's legend by adding my own personal interpretation of Troy's bear.

Photos by Shinsuke Kishima.