The Multi-Headed Art of AJ Fosik
The works of AJ Fosik generally resemble a hybrid of a piñata mixed with one of Hayao Miyazaki’s mythical creatures memorialized into totem poles. Though represented in a signature mounted or freestanding taxidermy style, Fosik’s work is less about the animal in the form and more about the culture it represents. Inside these colorful, twisted, anthropomorphic creatures is a hint of humanity, a tug at the heartstrings of our own realities.
Fosik was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. As the only artist in his family, he launched his imaginative endeavors in the two-dimensional world, eventually getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at Parsons School of Design. During many early mornings of his career, Fosik also dabbled in street art, creatively marking the walls of his urban landscape. Expanding into various media, he taught himself woodworking and began showing his more sculptural pieces around 2004, igniting his now signature style.
Fosik’s work is thought provoking; there are theistic features to his animal creations, making them tangible to this world, but with a transcendence far beyond it. Many of his images are inspired directly from various religious beliefs across the world and common folklore practices. Though many of the contorted figures of writhing animals or multi-headed beasts may appear dark and disturbing, he insists his work is not morbid, but rather an embrace of the short time each creature—including man—has on this earth.
All of Fosik’s works are primarily hand constructed. He seldom uses computer technology to enhance his designs, instead choosing to hand cut and paint each individual piece and lay them together to create the tile-like structures he is known for. Though very sculptural, Fosik is hesitant to refer to his creations as sculptures due to the diverse way he crafts them.
…Though many of the contorted figures of writhing animals or multi-headed beasts may appear dark and disturbing, he insists his work is not morbid…
Having been heavily influenced by varying cultural rituals, it is no surprise that Fosik lives a fairly nomadic life, moving from place to place throughout his career and drawing inspiration from a myriad of locations, having hubs in Portland, OR, Philadelphia, and Denver. As his works have grown, he has transitioned further away from his original two-dimensional illustrations, working almost exclusively in his animalistic fabrications. Though, even as the medium evolves, Fosik’s works remain bright, fierce and extremely colorful. Whether it’s a two-headed bear covered in autumnal-colored fur ripping out chains where its intestines should be or a golden goat with a tongue reminiscent of Gene Simmons, Fosik’s use of rainbow and metallic textiles extenuates the fantasy.
Throughout his growing career, Fosik has shown in galleries across the U.S. and around the globe, from Philadelphia, Austin and San Francisco, to France and Mexico abroad. He is represented by the Library Street Collective in his home town of Detroit and by the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City. He was even commissioned to create the album cover of the band Mastodon’s fifth studio album The Hunter, with recordings of Fosik’s construction of the piece represented in the band’s music video “Black Tongue.”
His latest solo exhibition was featured in mid-2017 at the Library Street Collective, titled From Ripe to Rot. The show featured the duality of Fosik’s unnatural beasts as they fall prey to various plights, such as puncture by man-made arrows, engorgement by snakes, or just good old-fashioned Battles Royale. There’s a strong sense of Ouroboros imagery—the snake eating its own tail—spread throughout many of Fosik’s wall-mounted pieces in the show, such as in “Rise Up, Flip in Two, Pull to Pieces,” which features two serpents intertwined around the body of a headless feline positioned beneath a human skull. This snake imagery is continued into one of the centerpieces of the show, the “Penduli, Pendulum,” a freestanding multi-horned deer, severed at the waist with six familiar black serpents spewing from its mouth.
…a freestanding multi-horned deer, severed at the waist with six familiar black serpents spewing from its mouth…
In early February 2018 Fosik’s work took a trip to Spain. There he participated in a group show at Madrid’s Galeria de Arte Kreisler titled Theriomorphism V in partnership with contemporaries like Matthew Grabelsky, Christybomb, Phyllis Galembo, and Okuda (with whom Fosik collaborated on a center piece of a howling rainbow wolf).
Fosik is currently set to be one of the three featured artists at the 2018 Scope Miami Beach Show celebrating new contemporary and street art and honoring Hi-Fructose’s fourteenth publication anniversary. Alongside Okuda once again, as well as the artist HOTTEA, Fosik will be part of a curated show worthy of a museum installation. For now, Fosik has slowly been teasing his Instagram followers with images from an upcoming show at Mexico City’s Hellion Gallery, titled Taller del Diablo, showcasing a piece that looks like a skeletal devil mutated into one of the Wicked Witch of the West’s flying monkeys.
There’s something about Fosik’s iconographic folklore with a twist that’s charming and incredibly endearing, even though the majority of his subject matter seems full of tortured souls and terrifying otherworldly beasts. From their humanistic expressions to their godly presentations, Fosik’s work is as unique as it is compelling.*
This article originally appeared in Hi-Fructose Issue 50, which is sold out. Support our independent arts coverage and get our latest print issue by Subscribing to Hi-Fructose here! Thanks for reading us.
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