Upon ignition, the engine of our airboat made an infernal racket. The boat started off slowly at first, then sped across the floating plants and grasses on the water. These Everglades in Florida are a river that flows very slowly, and today, in a highly controlled manner. The blue sky made the small ripples we left in our wake glisten, but at that moment, I couldn’t help but stare at the riverbed. I saw its red bottom, as if blood had spilled in a vast flow. I kept staring when suddenly, I saw it. There it was: a black alligator, half-submerged, motionless, waiting. A man on the boat pulled a knife from his pocket, the blade flashing briefly before my eyes. I realized it was a trap.
Acrilyc paint on linen canvas
146 x 89 cm (57.5 x 35 inches)
August 2022