Urfather refers to the primordial father, the first father. These sculptures are portraits of the Founding Fathers as seen through the mystification and mythification of history. Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson and Lincoln are carved in a slurry of ancient and colonial styles. While Lincoln is not a founding father, his inclusion echoes the butchery of history demonstrated by politicians today. Melding the Founding Fathers with more ancient forms evokes ancestor worship and a time when filial piety and patriotism was demonstrated by worshipping ghosts. Their denatured forms reflect the irrational dogma at play when politicians and pundits recast the Founding Fathers as gun-toting, bible-thumping, xenophobic, anti-intellectuals.
