Ping Pong in the Jungle

oil on canvas
Spotlight Artist

Ping Pong in the Jungle

oil on canvas
Put some spin into it

oil on canvas
This crowd is going wild

oil on canvas
I use ping pong in my work as a visual metaphor to describe code-switching and dialogue, using duplication and displacement to put emphasis on the psychological involvement within sport. I am interested in the phenomenology of plural identities that develop when embodying multiple languages and/or vernaculars. Ping pong becomes a symbol for conversation in my paintings, referencing the many potentials during dialogue for either connection or conflict. Recently, I have been inspired by the quiet panic that comes with language inadequacy and the hypervigilance one might feel during active misunderstandings within a conversation. I see similarities in this experience to the inertia or urgency an athlete might feel toward scoring or keeping a ball within bounds. I currently work with a variety of repetitive symbols such as snakes, escape, slack-jawed shock, and fire in order to push this metaphor.

Feb 2025
Laura Phipps
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