The painting is based on a real confrontation provoked by chainsaw wielding Proud Boys in a Toronto park. Strategically executed bullet holes pierce the canvas creating a tension between creation and destruction and ask the viewer to confront ideas surrounding the normalization and glorification of violence in contemporary culture.

Exploring themes of anarchy, white male anger, and violence at the fore of our socio-political climate in the year of 2020, Mitic compellingly captures two young men in a pop inspired landscape wielding gilded chainsaws and seemingly questioning why nothing is being done. This mirage of violence and expressive figuration within a monumental landscape finds resonance with the work of the post-modern artist Leon Golub who believed that an observable connection to the external world and to actual events was essential if art was to have any relevance to the viewer or society. Golub's work often reflected the horrors of war, as well as the uncertainties of the Cold War and Nuclear age, just as Mitic's work now reflects the jarring violence of groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other disaffected groups.

Viktor Mitic is a Canadian-Serbian painter and sculptor who is known for his use of live ammunition in paintings and installations. His bullet-ridden creations have provoked both acclaim and controversy. His school bus riddled with bullet holes was displayed in Washington, a jarring commentary on school shootings seemingly unchecked. Mitic’s works have incited widespread social debate from many sides of the political spectrum and the art world at large. Mitic has been exhibited across Canada and the USA and has published four books. He has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Toronto, and is currently residing in the city.

Viktor Mitic earned a BFA from the University of Toronto in 1995 with studies in art history at Sheridan College. He has exhibited his post-Pop inspired paintings, prints and colourful abstract sculptures at the Muramatsu Gallery in Tokyo, The Armory Show in NYC, Art Chicago and in Toronto. His work is held in corporate, private and public collections including the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Biggs Museum of American Art.

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