oil and wire on canvas; 24×30”

“In this work, I draw upon classical conditioning in psychology. Providing the viewer with their own form of classical conditioning and self-preservation, the cultural fear of the spider is held against a biological fear of a the bite of a dog, invoking a trauma response within the mind of the audience. My goal is to teach audiences to discern learned fears from distractions to real threats, and to bring to attention the viewer’s reaction.”

ARTIST BIO: Molly Rahtz is an artist from Cincinnati, OH, currently a student who creates paintings and video art that verge on the edge of comedic sarcasm, illustrating the fears of her generation of a future foretold in deceptively dystopian sci-fi movies. Imolly combines deeply personal stories and anecdotes with mythological references, psychological experiments, and film theory/composition to explore the challenges of individual preservation in a late-stage capitalistic world.