Parrot 2016

Eckart Hahn seems to have made this piece from thin layers of paint and glaze. It’s a slow build, and the surface is smooth. Look at the way the parrot-headed man rests his elbow on the table, lost in thought. There’s a melancholy mood here that is also funny. Hahn is playing with surrealism and our understanding of what a portrait can be. The figure looks like a person but also a bird, with a white t-shirt, and the beginning of scales up their arm. It’s like a costume coming apart at the seams. Hahn seems interested in the slippage between things. There is a bit of Magritte in there, or maybe even Philip Guston, from a different angle. Ultimately, art is never just one thing; it's always a mix of different voices and visions.