Haunted by the Ghosts of Our Own Making

Haunted by the Ghosts of Our Own Making is one of a series of paintings Hollis Sigler produced during the summer of 1995 on the causes of cancer. Since her mother died of cancer, and intensified by the artist’s recurring struggle against that illness, subjects related to cancer have been prominent in Sigler’s work. The artist died in 2001 from cancer.

Sigler’s painting suggests the work of an untrained artist. She adopted this style, called faux naif, intentionally to identify herself as separate from the male-dominated art scene. Hidden in the brilliantly-colored painting are images of the use of chemicals in agriculture and the inscription around the frame refers to our lack of knowledge of the long-term effects of chemicals.