Something on Skoglund

The instant realization of chaos is caused through the audience's knowledge that the over-grown babies will roll into the pond and no one will help him/her out. The desire to reach out and help the children are one of the very first instincts. Skoglund not only succeeds at incorporating her dark and edgy side, but also succeeds at instigating a feeling of compassion towards the subjects of her artwork.

Too often is Frankenstein dismissed as simply being a horror novel. Through Skoglund's artwork, the audience realizes that the connection between her artworks and Shelley's creation of a beast are quiet similar, and more than just about violence--it's about connecting to other humans and feeling comfort in knowing that they feel the same way as you do. The usage of "animal presence," (4) be it in a beastly form or a normal household pet, "is the link between ourselves and the natural world," where Skoglund hints to her belief that we cannot co-exist with creatures who have a different conscious level than ourselves without creating chaos. By using Frankenstein's themes in her drawing, Skoglund supports her idea of "common language" (5) that humans, whether we know it or not, face the same obstacles and difficulties. Skoglund urges us to face and share their feelings of discomfort, so that together we can attempt to find stability in a chaotic world.

Death is only the beginning of the common ground that Skoglund struggles to build. The death of her mother, brought Skoglund to conclude that with death comes the agony of not being able to control our destiny, loneliness, emotional chaos, and eventually monstrosity--our feelings get so bent out of shape that all we know is to live in negative emotions. With an attempt to share her feelings, Skoglund "relentlessly focuses [on] metaphors that reflect human fear and vulnerability" (7). Through Skoglund's art pieces we can conclude that her belief of making a common ground to help us all feel the same is based off of negative circumstances. Skoglund finds strength in sharing the most sensitive moments of her life just to have her audience understand that they are not alone, but have a powerful and helpful tool to help them pull through: each other and art. Among the many uncertainties and contradictory aspects life brings (we live to die, we fight to win, we work hard to relax), what better way to connect then through feelings? With her affiliation of "powerful juxtapositions and contradictions" (8) in all her artwork, Skoglund ends with her belief that "the end is still the same: to make each other feel more comfortable in a world that does not make much sense. And we make each other feel more comfortable by sharing our discomfort." Skoglund photographs death, loneliness, and discomfort simply because death, and the negative feelings that follow, are the only certain outcome of life; it is the solemn event that we, as humans, can count on. And having this common ground to work off of, Skoglund brilliantly and differently portrays her work of compassion for the human race.