Fig1: Alex Morgan, Nova Vita, 2017
Bleak, Façade, Austere, Biblical, Forsaken, Semblance, Ardent, Crestfallen, Barbarous, Expectations
The work explores the emotional instability of the artist and the continuously developing problems and issues of his life both physically and socially. Through the considered application of plaster and paint, the artist has imbued the piece with reference to and perspectives on, the complex nature of the human condition. Using the canvas as a body the artist’s deepest secrets have been compartmentalised and scrawled across the work, then protected by a bony wall of plaster.
Each segment of the wall has been constructed from the compositional breakdown of photographs taken at key points throughout the artist’s life encompassing social events, family meals, hospital visits and even the mess of his room. Informed from the embedded memory a façade has evolved, carefully concealing his true self. Drawn over the layers of plaster, a thick skin of paint reveals in depth, colour and hue, the emergence of the artist’s emotional response to the subject of each canvas.
However, these true responses are tinged by the social expectations of a modern society that leaves no room for anyone to be anything but happy. This distortion results in the large emotional imbalance seen in the applications of red glaze and bitumen.
The innate fragility of the human condition will reveal itself over time. As the piece ages, the inherent flaws within the plaster will slowly reveal themselves in cracks and chips. These will slowly penetrate the facade and in breach of self-imposed convention reveal the artist’s true emotions.
In this piece, we therefore glimpse into the artist’s mind and find the nature of the piece unveiled is redemption.
The words I have chosen are my immediate response to my own work with the knowledge and understanding I have over its creation and concept. They display my opinions of the piece and the associations I make with it. I do not believe the work depicts a particularly positive part of my life and these words and the way I describe the piece reflects this.