JOE VOLLAN 

THE FIVE WRETCHED WITCHES OF THE WESTERN WOOD 

mini feature

April 19th - May 11th, 2025

Opening Reception: First Friday, May 2nd, 2025 ​

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“The Five Wretched Witches of the Western Wood” is a doom-folk fairytale by Joe Vollan...just in time for Easter. In each piece, there’s a rabbit that’s been chopped in half floating above two crossed axes. It's the same symbol featured in the title piece of the show and is subtly incorporated into the garments of every witch. The chopped-rabbit crest ties this heretical troupe together, and in “Foreboding Warren,” one rabbit is mended, returned to the herd, perhaps at the mercy of the crowned queen witch. 

 

“I feel as though skeleton witches that live in the woods are an inexhaustible source for stories and inspiration. In this series, the witches are misunderstood. They are doing their best but still wretched…To me, art is an escape from all the problems we are facing as a world. And I hope that people can find some escape by viewing it.” - Joe Vollan

 

A Seattle native based in Buffalo, Joe Vollan (b. 1978) has been showing with Arch Enemy Arts since 2017; this is his first series after a two-year hiatus. We love Joe for the combination of dark humor and macabre fantasy he achieves in his work. Blending intricate and illustrative detailing—like the crisp lace and rendered skeletons seen here—with loose, flat backgrounds and folk-inspired visual language, Vollan makes gothic stories with paint. And we are grateful every time he writes. 

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THE FIVE WRETCHED WITCHES will be on view from April 19th - May 11th, 2025
Sold works will begin to ship the week starting May 18th, unless other rush shipping arrangements have been made. 

Items marked with a red dot have already been sold.

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