Curated by Sabine Schneider, Curator, Learning
In Sock Monkey Scenarios Vancouver-based artist Thomas Anfield explores in his paintings the labyrinth-like and tangled conditions of being human through the symbol of the beloved Sock Monkey. Inviting us into his carefully choreographed scenes, Anfield’s Sock Monkeys look curiously familiar as we encounter this folk-art puppet in universal human spheres by themselves, or in relationship with each other evoking immediate self-reflection as well as imagined realities. In their theatrical and anthropomorphic quality, each painting shines light on the complexity of being human and the constant shape shifting we experience in the Theatre of Life.
While most of the Sock Monkey paintings are uplifting, witty, and joyful, we also come across some that are grotesque, cynical and dark. As a contemporary figurative painter who is interested in the tradition of painting from life, Anfield paints his Sock Monkey artworks directly from the intricate scenes he sets up for each painting creating unique dioramas for which he uses vintage Sock Monkeys costumed with repurposed vintage doll clothing.
Originally, hand-crafted Sock Monkeys were fashioned out of worn-out work socks. They started to surface in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. However, only once the Nelson Knitting Mills in Rockford, Illinois, U.S., began to include instructions how to make stuffed Sock Monkey toys with their trademarked Red Heel socks in the 1950’s, making them became really popular. This trend continued in the 1960’s and 1970’s reviving its popularity in the new millennium.
