‘Bad Bunny, Dead Bunny’ draws upon the Mandarin slang term ‘Rabbit’, a derogatory label aimed to discriminate queer, trans, and gender variant individuals. The work builds on Solomon J Solomon’s painting ‘Samson’ from 1887 to create an allegorical visualization of queer experiences. Depicting a biblical hero weakened and bound by the Philistines after revealing the source of his strength to his lover Delilah, this work approaches the overreaching topic of the tortured genius through a societal perspective, establishing a daunting metaphor for how, when trust is placed in the wrong hands, the results can be detrimental to the individual’s existence.
Through its vivid and discomforting imagery, ‘Bad Bunny, Dead Bunny’ invites viewers to reflect on their own potential complicity in perpetuating injustice, violence, and segregating stereotypical perceptions.