War on Terror Part 2

'Tanguy Underpass' (14/4/2009) Dimensions 20 x 15 x 2.5 cm. Oil on patenated and incised copper.

'Kennel Club' (22/4/2009) Dimensions 20 x 15 x 2.5 cm. Oil, gouache and acrylic on patenated copper.

'Double Yellow' (March 2009) Dimensions 20 x 15 x 2.5 cm. Oil, gouache on paper and patenated copper.

'Terror' (28/4/2009) Dimensions 20 x 15 x 2.5 cm. Oil and acrylic on patenated copper.

All 8 of these paintings are part of my degree show. My works aim to convey the idea that the threat of terrorist attack, however vague or unsubstantiated is often used as an excuse to remove the liberty of a minority of people, and how this inevitably leads to it being used on the majority of people. By juxtaposing large, almost overwhelming paintings of ambiguous architectural spaces with titles such as ‘The Tube’ which suggest a sense of danger, against much smaller images suggesting the subtle everyday effects of the ‘War on Terror’ as well as its darker heart, the works try to convey the underlying issues which I want the viewer to think about. In these paintings I also wanted to look at modernist, futurist, brutalist even corporatist architecture.

These are all examples of movements promising to change society for the better which to greater or lesser extent failed.

Artists Statement

Artists Statement for June 2009 Degree Show

The effects that people have on our environment, and each other are the underlying themes that underpin my work. I am interested in the strata of society, how this is manifested, be it visually or in a more subtle manner and questioning it through a visual means. The human environment, that is to say one that humans have specifically and systematically sculpted, has been a particularly strong theme that permeates through my work. What interests me about these environments is both their psychological effect and the social/ideological issues that they establish as well as the layers of history they reflect.

The architecture of the 60s, modernism, brutalist and corporatist style interested me particularly; they are all examples of grand attempts to sculpt society for the better which haven’t always succeeded. The blurring of Civil Liberties in recent years has been a strong element in my works this year, influenced by my paintings based on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the ‘War on Terror’

My works aim to convey the idea that the threat of terrorist attack, however vague or unsubstantiated is used as an excuse to remove the liberty of a minority of people, and how this inevitably leads to it being used on the majority of people. By juxtaposing a large, almost overwhelming painting of an ambiguous architectural space titled ‘The Tube’ against much smaller images suggesting the subtle everyday effects of the ‘War on Terror’ as well as its darker heart, the works try to convey the underlying issues which I want the viewer to think about.