Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Ksenia Danilova

Chicken Place on Royal York Rd

"Chicken Place on Royal York Rd" is part of my thesis series "After the Event" in which I explore a potential post-climate crisis Earth, where giant plant women hybrids have replaced humans, and the world is thriving as Nature reclaims what's hers. I chose the locations I wished to reimagine based on places I've been in the city that I felt were recognizable or were part of my daily commute. I wanted a mix of popular and obscure locations. The monochrome green evokes nature and plants.

“"If you look down from the tracks, the hedges and trees block the sight of the houses. They’ve almost engulfed the chicken shop down the street that would only ever be open after 5 pm. Someone, at some point, knocked over a utility pole, and it now lies idly across the street, the powerlines still connected to it strewn loosely along the sidewalk. This would have been a hazard if the power grid was still running, but instead, the pole’s been carpeted with moss. The potholes littering the road are like tide pools on the coastline, accumulating rainwater, stray leaves, and housing the occasional frog. The figure crouches behind the chicken shop. Her hand reaches out, brushing the top of the houses, concealed by greenery. For a moment, the chimney on the roof is exposed, the metal worn and tarnished. But then she puts her hand back, and it’s hidden again, like it never existed."”