The Prophet and the Bees - Exhibition at Shakes Galerie, Prague

My second solo exhibition, held in Shakes Galerie, U Lužického semináře 10, Praha, from 15.1.2010 to 15.2.2010. I had my brown notebooks on display, and unfortunately (to put it mildly) one of them went missing during the exhibit. Nine months of annotated research, writing, and drawings for my upcoming MA gone all at once. That'll teach me the folly of not backing everything up online...

The series of large (~6' x 2') works after which the show was titled are mixed media monoprints / drawings based on the idea of pareidolia, or seeing patterns in random stimuli. They are process-works, printed with ink-soaked scraps of paper, which leave a variety of traces. These traces are built up into layers of texture, which begin to suggest forms. I then use a variety of hand-media to bring out the forms I 'read-into' the textures. Perhaps because of the nature of the semi-dreaming process I use, or perhaps simply because of my preoccupation with mythology and symbols, the forms which emerge from this process tend to be resonant with linked symbolism and implied narrative. I then add handwritten and transfer-type words and letters that spontaneously occur to me when staring at the images. The forms and texts are added to slowly over a number of weeks, and the creation of the four works in the series overlapped, leading to a spontaneous 'intertextuality.' In this way the works become a non-linear myth cycle, with a variety of narrative paths between the figures and objects.

In order, the work shown in the photographs is:

"Judge" (2009) rope, brass tripod, electrical socket.

"Hi-Viz" (2009) found board, highlighters, pencils, correction fluid, drawing ink.

"The Prophet and the Bees" and "Perpetual Apocalypse" (2009) , MÅLA paper, drawing ink, highlighters, pencils, markers, correction fluid, fluoro price stickers, transfer type, fire.

"Plague of Language" and "Skin, or the rubble at Babel" (2009)[materials as prev.].

"Night Map" (2009) found paper, drawing ink, GROG graffiti ink, markers, highlighters, pencils, correction fluid, fluoro price stickers, transfer type, fire, jigsaw piece.

Many thanks to Natalia Vasquez Photography for the images.