Thomas Woodruff Freak Parade

Thomas Woodruff was still in his twenties when he collaborated with avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson on the décor for his opera Edison. A former tattoo artist, his artwork spans an incredible range of techniques, appearances, and emotions. The complexity of his enterprise reaches a new high with the paintings in this book -- his most ambitious project, five years in the making. Beyond their fanatical visual complexity and impact, these creations embody the metaphysical sense of what it means to be a "freak" -- those who by circumstances of birth or choice are outside of the norm, vilified, misunderstood, feared, and demonized. The strange hybrids that appear in these paintings parade their elaborate beauty and dignity with a vengeance, celebrating the essential right to be different. Each image is accompanied by expressive, poetical text. 2006 Hardcover/softcover, 80 pages, text in English. Dimensions: 10.25 x 0.6 x 15.4  inches Weight: 2.3 lbs