These politically charged paintings of lavish campaign dinner scenes are critical commentary on the financial disparities in American society, set against a background of the midwestern landscape. With superficial notions of “bread and butter issues” at the center of campaigns, the dinner table becomes a metaphorical stage for political theater. Objects symbolic of wealth, greed, and political power sit amongst the rich displays of food--reminders of who gets a seat at the table and how the system favors them at the expense of others. Skewed perspectives and exaggerated scale relationships disinvite the viewer from entering the scene, emphasizing this unequal power dynamic.
Katie Butler is a painter based in Akron, Ohio. She received her BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Akron in 2017 and her MFA in painting from Kent State University in 2021. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally; she has shown several times with Abattoir, most recently at Expo Chicago, 2024.
The following works will be on view through the end of June, 2024, at Abattoir at the Quarter, located at 2615 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, Ohio.