China Bull

2020

Measurements

Natural bull skull, Colored pencils, Alcohol ink

“A bull in a china shop” is a popular idiom to refer to aggressive or destructive energies in a fragile setting. In reality, bulls aren’t usually so destructive; they tend to move around obstacles rather than barrel through them.

China Bull is a representation of the illusion of strength, authority and, in some cases, the illusion of danger. A bull uses its head to strike; when threatened the bull will use its horns and its thick skull to fight. Whatever its condition in life, this skull is no longer the powerful battering weapon; it’s thin, it’s broken and flaking in places, its horns are gone and the soft cores have been eaten away over time.

This skull, being weathered and worn as it is, reminded me of broken pottery.