Imbued with a strong sense of tactility, the paintings of Monica Cook allure the viewer with their convergence of slimy creatures and slippery food with an odd erotica portrayed through the bare skin and poses of the fleshy subjects. The incredibly masterful paintings play with the tension between attraction and repulsion with realistic portraiture; the ooze of an octopus coats the bare skin of a figure who holds the aquatic creature on her head, while a pile of bodies engage in seemingly sexual acts amidst crushed fruit and wet tentacles. These surreal situations lend themselves to the primal and bizarre actions of the subjects, who always appear on the verge of consumption or destruction. View more of the works below.
