What If? (Confronting the Abyss) | Keith M. Francis

What If? (Confronting the Abyss) by Keith M. Francis. A mixed media sculpture on steel featuring a genuine vintage gas mask and custom neon glass text, examining existential anxiety, fallout, and systemic vulnerability.

A large-scale mixed-media artwork titled "What If? (Confronting the Abyss)" by Keith Francis (2023). The piece is a 48-inch square steel panel with a heavily textured, distressed surface characterized by rusted water patterns, grit, and dark, somber tones. Centered on the panel is a painted figure of a young girl with outstretched arms. Her face and skin appear charred and weathered, and she wears a physical, three-dimensional antique gas mask that protrudes from the surface of the steel. The girl's posture and the "indefinite peace" of the mask evoke a sense of perpetual vulnerability and trauma. At the bottom of the steel panel, a horizontal blue neon sign is attached, glowing with the words "WHAT IF." The vibrant, artificial blue light of the neon creates a sharp, jarring tension against the gritty, dark-brown textures of the background. The work serves as a visceral critique of modern anxiety and a call for vigilance in the face of technological and environmental threats.
A large-scale mixed-media artwork titled "What If? (Confronting the Abyss)" by Keith Francis (2023). The piece is a 48-inch square steel panel with a heavily textured, distressed surface characterized by rusted water patterns, grit, and dark, somber tones. Centered on the panel is a painted figure of a young girl with outstretched arms. Her face and skin appear charred and weathered, and she wears a physical, three-dimensional antique gas mask that protrudes from the surface of the steel. The girl's posture and the "indefinite peace" of the mask evoke a sense of perpetual vulnerability and trauma. At the bottom of the steel panel, a horizontal blue neon sign is attached, glowing with the words "WHAT IF." The vibrant, artificial blue light of the neon creates a sharp, jarring tension against the gritty, dark-brown textures of the background. The work serves as a visceral critique of modern anxiety and a call for vigilance in the face of technological and environmental threats.
48" H x 48" W x 6" D, 65 lbs.

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