+ Convenience Will Pacify, part of Rik Catlow’s submission to the Whitney Museum’s Biennial Exhibition.

In our disposable convenience culture we are constantly fed new ways to make things easier, faster and better for ourselves. TV Dinners, cell phones, PDA’s- all of these so-called advancements are in the name of convenience and American corporations love to push these new advancements because we usually pay more for these conveniences. Whether they call it “travel size” or use buzzwords like “on the go” they are trying to sell you convenience.

The main problem with this type of thinking is that it is short-term. Our landfills are filled with the long-term results of our easier life. Nothing symbolizes convenience more than the aluminum can. We have utilized this economical container so much we had to devise ways for recycling them, which in turns makes the cans cost even more to produce, thus negating the short-term gain.

The purpose of these paintings is to extend the term of something that someone so easily discards. Every day while walking in the streets, I see cans crushed by hours and hours of traffic. My thought was that these cans are smashed into beautiful small canvases. By creating these paintings, I’m trying to inform the viewer that convenience has unseen costs and usefulness never expires.

-sorry Rik, but screw the statement. No one give a fk these days. All that matters is looking cool. And that they do.