John Bankston: The Explorer

Like Dorothy in the magical Land of Oz, John Bankston’s latest protagonist, The Explorer, navigates a fantasy region he calls The Rainbow Forest. We follow this character through three episodes, watching and participating as he winds his way through the confusion and the beauty of the imagined country and its creatures. Each of the three chapters of the series is comprised of a set of drawings punctuated by a painting. In “Farewell,” the Explorer says goodbye to his friends and is off, mechanical birds and butterflies accompanying him as he follows the path. “The Encounter” finds the Explorer surprised by a group of small men wearing animal masks. Initially welcomed and draped with flower garlands, the garlands become bindings and The Explorer becomes their captive. Leaving the viewer to interpolate the narrative between chapters, “The Cave” is the final chapter in this visual saga. One of the small men leads the Explorer to a cave and together they come upon a being emerging from the rock walls. When they leave the cave they encounter an Abstracticator. Bankston’s inspiration for this robot creature was a visit to the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama – a century old abandoned blast furnace.