"Wilson skins not only the rodents, but the façade of humanity, suggesting that it may not be a viable concept after all."- Rae Langes, Skinning Humanity: Anthropomorphism and the Mortality of an Ideal
play 1 is a 3.5-hour durational performance involving skinning and playing with multiple small mammals: a mouse, a rat, two squirrels, a muskrat, and a chipmunk. Merging images of death and play, the grostesque and the childish, the artist uses doll house furniture, doll clothes, and other toys to anthropomorphize the skins and carcasses of the animals.
This work was premiered at Rapid Pulse International Performance Art Festival in Chicago, IL, USA, on June 13th, 2015. Special thanks to the festival and to photo-documenters Angela Guest and Nabeela Vega.