
Sean Mahan
“As a modern representation of the mother and child,
‘The Vanishing Thread’ is an exploration of human
nature that is frequently at the core of his work. The
painting questions the stability of our care, consideration,
and connection in the context of an isolating and
alienating modern culture. To illustrate this feeling
of alienation, the vanishing mother and daughter are
superseded by the more solid and prominent machine
that sits before them. The machine has the possibility
of symbolizing a prescriptive identity to submissively
follow but can also convey the possibility of creatively
constructing a new identity that is fluid and caring.”