We often make connections through symbols which stand strong and proud.
But while looking for wholeness in strength
We often forget the beauty of imperfection.
By searching within ourselves and what we see,
We allow these imperfections to come forward,
And connect on a visual - and metaphorical - level.
Softening our gaze, we see the chinks in the armour.
When we realize these chinks, as well as strengths,
Are an inimitable part of us,
We can appreciate their complimentary value.
Imperfections make us.
Geometric Rigour, Manual Imprecision is a body of mixed media 2-D painitngs and 3-D sculpture which explores the idea of perfection through the creation of bold geometric constructions. By using colour, shape, line and form. It invites the viewer to step in closer to interact with the visuals and see that all which seems perfect from afar is made from countless imperfections all joined together as to a whole.
Education:
I'm a self taught artist and photographer. As a highly motivated learner, I have mainly chosen self-directed education to improve and learn more with regard to media and process. This has meant I have sought personal teachers within different disciplines and benefited from their expertise by shadowing them during their own work. Over the past four years I have worked with the world renowned photojournalists Hannah Reyes Morales and Thomas Cristofoletti experiencing the nuances of their working processes thus strengthening my own concepts and work ethic, as shown through my website alexpettiford.com.
My painting process has developed over many years; painting on streets late at night alone was certainly an education in how not to get hurt whilst perfecting and honing skills with regards to technique and materials. Over many years of creating images I started to learn how isometric drawings emerged from my deep love of straight lines and angles. While creating work, it got me thinking of where this love of such angular, linear work originated. I could look no further than my own parents, who were architectural drafters creating engineered drawings for active construction projects in and around the area of Birmingham. My love for architecture stemmed from here; being shown and seeing plans around my house when I was younger inspired such cubic ideas as I would later produce under the guise of Stanley Cubebrick.
Past exhibitions, residencies or related experience for last 3 years:
I was organizer and curator of Documenting Cambodia, an exhibition showcasing compelling documentary essays by six photojournalists within Cambodia. This exhibition was held at 1961 gallery in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It took place underneath the noses of the ever watchful and imposing Cambodian People's Party (the ruling party of Cambodia). The exhibition received praise from the journalism community, attracting the largest attendance at the gallery to date. Stories varied from Blood Sugar raising issues of child labor in the sugar industry to images of Cambodian prisoners showing understanding of their basic human rights while incarcerated at Phnom Penh's infamous Prey Sar prison.
My work was exhibited in Marx Still Matters, an exhibition celebrating the occasion of Karl Marx’s 200th birthday. The piece I created was based on the writings and research of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels whilst in Manchester studying the working conditions of the 'satanic mills' of Northern England. I created a work named Cottonopolis, a 19th century nickname for Manchester, the metropolis at the centre of the cotton industry in that time. For this piece I stitched a rectangle from single thread black cotton, onto cotton canvas, alluding to Kasimir Malevich's 'Black Square'.
M.I.C. (Made In Cambodia) in Kampot, Cambodia, was a mixed media visual and performing arts exhibition encompassing painting, screen printing, photography, break-dancing and installation art from across the Kingdom. I exhibited four photographs which were highlighting current styles used by graffiti artists visiting the city of Phnom Penh.
Geometric Rigor, Manual Imprecision was my first solo painting exhibition showcasing at Metahouse in Phnom Penh. With the exhibition I was exploring the imperfections in what could appear to be perfect through isometric painting, drawing and installation. The exhibition blurb follows:
'We often make connections through symbols which stand strong and proud. But while looking for wholeness in strength we often forget the beauty of imperfection.
By searching within ourselves and what we see,
we allow these imperfections to come forward,
and connect on a visual - and metaphorical - level.
Softening our gaze, we see the chinks in the armour.
When we realize these chinks, as well as strengths, are an inimitable part of us, we can appreciate their complimentary value.
Imperfections make us.'
Artist Statement:
I like questions. Questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no. I like to stimulate debate through the posing of questions and I enjoy when conversations shift like pub chatter from many moons ago. I like when questions can be poked into many different shapes allowing others to exchange views. When points are discussed from different angles and views, we can build new shapes to help our world improve.
Now more than ever, we need to pose questions and listen to answers imparted by people we know the least about. The more we can listen and the more we can learn, the better we can construct from solid foundations.'