Fragmented and morbid, yet full of yearning and sensitivity, Douglas Kolk’s drawings and collages show people who seem to be at odds with themselves and on the verge of collapse. Influenced by Pop art and media images, his works have titles like Lifedeathlife; Green Girls Die; A Boy Named Deth, A Girl Named Sic; Hi Sunflower!, and Ladies + Gun Shoes, and deal intensively with popular youth culture. Kolk grew up in a nursing home led by his father, a Baptist preacher. He studied graphic design, worked as an assistant to Robert Longo, and then as curator of a bank-owned art collection. In the mid-1990s his increasing success as an artist brought along with it the pressure of raised expectations, compelling him to stop working as an artist for a while. In the past few years he has returned to drawing.