Graduating with an MFA in Photography from the Pratt Institute in 2012, Alex’s thesis show, TROPHY, focused on his family’s background in sport hunting, and specifically his relationship with his father. Alex’s most recent work, EYES, continues to face these same themes, seemingly from the opposite direction. Where TROPHY deals with a lifetime of ideas and trauma surrounding hunting, EYES is about a very specific moment in his life and is an attempt to imbue that time with humor.
EYES
My father kills animals for sport. I fucking hate it. It’s been a point of contention between us for decades, despite an otherwise amicable relationship. In 2016 my father was rushed to the hospital after he was found unconscious by his housekeeper. He had developed a severe case of pneumonia while undergoing chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma in his throat. He was unconscious for a week and then spent another month in recovery. During that time, and for a few months after, I moved into his house to take care of him. His house which is filled with taxidermied animals. In a moment of either clarity or delirium (or maybe both?) I decided to cover the eyes of his animals with googly eyes. It was my small act of protest against the fragile mortality of my father that I was suddenly faced with. To my chagrin, he found it delightful. EYES was originally a self published zine with only two copies, one for myself, and one as my father’s Christmas present.
To view more of Alex Crawford’s work please visit his website.