In my work, I delve into the symbolic world of the carousel—a representation of simplicity and nostalgia that transports us back to childhood’s carefree days. The carousel, with its endless cycle and uniform experience for all riders, stands as a metaphor for the unchanging nature of memory and the idealized past. The brass ring, a symbol of fleeting glory, invites every rider to grasp at a moment of triumph, a reminder of the universal quest for significance.
My series, Menagerie: An Exquisite Corpse Carousel, takes this familiar motif and transforms it through the lens of Surrealism. Inspired by the game Cadavre Exquis (exquisite corpse), I replace the traditional carousel horses with fantastical creatures—hybrid beings formed from mismatched animal parts. These bizarre and often comical figures serve as stand-ins for their more elegant predecessors, embodying a distorted reflection of nostalgia and the ideals we cling to from the past. Through these paintings, I aim to explore the tension between reality and the idealized memories we cherish, using the carousel as a satirical vehicle to question the authenticity of our recollections and the grey areas between what was and what we imagine it to have been.
Doug Bennett is an artist based in Raleigh, NC. His work has been exhibited nationally and is held in public and private collections. He holds a BFA from Ohio University and an MFA from Columbia University. Although his primary focus is painting, he spent over two decades as a Master Printmaker in New York City, collaborating with both established and emerging artists in some of the most prestigious print studios in the country.