Zebra Montage III

In Zebra Montage, Sean Rush invites viewers into a visual triptych painted on raw Belgian linen, with the unprimed weave intentionally left exposed to function as a textural element. The zebra’s bold stripes evoke motion-dazzle camouflage—a survival tactic in which zebras align stripe-to-stripe within herds, merging into a shifting form that confuses predators, obscures individuals, and disrupts pursuit.
Floating above the zebra is a 24-karat gold medallion, inspired by Byzantine iconographic tradition. In this heritage, gilded forms signify divine light and transcendent presence. Here, the medallion evokes both the subtle warmth of a setting sun and the quiet authority of a sacred moon, its radiance suspended above the humble linen.
Together, the stripes and medallion transform the zebra from mere animal into living icon—bridging instinctive survival and spiritual symbolism, camouflage and sanctity, material honesty and transcendent glow. Zebra Montage is a meditation on how instinct, pattern, and ritual converge in visual form.