Dean Krueger

MFA - Art & Design - Time Arts

I’m Not a Robot

I tell stories that are the side effects of an overactive imagination and sense of humor in a cruel, doldrum capitalistic world. The narratives I draw are organized and mechanical in process and structure, but fluid in rendering. Drawn with gestural mark making and dramatic high contrast compositions, the visual storytelling takes precedence over dialogue and exposition in favor of emotion and immersion. My subject matter is always inspired by the comics and animation that got me into artmaking, and fits into “genre” stories (sci-fi, action, thriller). The familiarity of these genres lets me be playful and loose, imbuing humor into subject matter that is often portrayed with a self-seriousness that often dampens the mood to the point of boredom. This is specific to my taste, and out of self-awareness on my part: I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to philosophy and writing, but I seem to be able to make others laugh. It’s a 50/50 chance that it is directed at me and not with me, but either way, I’d rather people laugh than cry. Easier to do as well: eliciting serious emotions is harder, and if you don’t succeed at being funny, people still laugh at the embarrassment and failure. Win-win!