Who is NYP? |

George Boorujy is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. His work has been exhibited widely nationally and internationally. He is a current NYFA fellow in painting, and a former fellow of the Smack Mellon residency program. He is represented by P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY.

Statement about my work

Living in New York City, it’s easy to think that Nature happens somewhere else. Somewhere ever farther than Staten Island. The joke is that the wildlife of New York consists solely of rats and pigeons. In reality, the wildlife of New York is surprisingly diverse. But it is interesting to think about how these two species, rat and pigeon, which existed long before our own primitive ancestors, have so greatly benefited from our existence.

The truth is, we are Nature. And as part of Nature, we influence it. I’m a large social primate that lives in an enormous colony (New York) situated on a very productive estuary. We are all functioning within a certain ecosystem, regardless of the degree to which we change it.

In my work, I explore our relationship to Nature and our perception of that relationship. I’m interested in how we see animals, and see ourselves as animals. What does a bluebird really look like? How do we manage and attempt to control wildlife? By representing familiar animals in unfamiliar contexts I want the viewer to see them in a new way, and to confront both the animal and their preconceived notions about it.

Additionally, I am interested in how we shape, mark, and manipulate the landscape, and the structures we build in those landscapes. Although we have a great capacity to alter the earth, natural forces dictate the shape our buildings take, and change them with weather, time, and the colonization of other species. In the wake of the wide swath we cut through the planet, we leave the world changed. What concerns me is whether we acknowledge that, and see how we fit, as large lovely-brained primates, within our given ecosystem.