A Timelessly Present Event
A series of mixed media artworks, inspired by street art, that weave together images from news articles, quotes, song lyrics, feelings and emotions. These works attempt to distill complex thoughts and universal themes into singular images.
Get Up Stand Up
2008
Mixed Media on canvas
100cm by 100cm
The inspiration for this painting was the feeling of defiance against oppression and adversity. The background is a target, to suggest that anyone can become a target of oppression, the yellow signifies a warning sign to be aware. The famous ‘tank man’ image is borrowed to become a universal image of standing up for what you believe in. The texts are quotes that inspire the inner strength needed to stand up.
Your Face Here (The Changing Face of Racism)
2008
Mixed Media on canvas
100cm by 100cm
The inspiration for this piece was the notion that if you allow others to be persecuted, one day, it may be you who becomes the target of persecution, to stand by and allow it, is to accept yourself as a target in the future. The background is made of stripes and stars, at the time I made this work, there seemed to be a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, especially in America, I wanted to try and convey the idea that persecution based on race changes or grows over time, and if it accepted, it can move around, and may include you on day. I borrowed the image of shackled Guantanamo Bay detainees and combined it with the famous black power salute from the 1968 Olympic games in a crude way of trying to highlight how racial persecution echoes through history, today it is them, but maybe tomorrow it is you.
See More
2010
Mixed Media on canvas
60cm by 40cm
The inspiration for this piece was the increasing amount of information that I felt my eyes had to absorb in the modern age. A baby’s head is now a screen and in flows a cacophony of images and sounds to overwhelm my senses.
Hits From The Bomb
2009
Acrylic and spray paint on canvas
100cm by 50cm
This painting was simply an expression of how the world felt to me at this time. The bomb is borrowed from a newspaper image of the first atomic bomb ‘Little Boy’, two little boys happily sit on top of it as it falls, banging it with hammers, oblivious to the danger. It is meant to represent the precariousness of peace and the dangerous mix of technological advancement with human propensity for base impulses.
Please Find The Gap
2010
Mixed Media on canvas
60cm by 40cm
Self portrait. The walls in this painting are created using cigarette buts, the turbulence of the background reflects my state of mind at the time and the works represents the feeling of being overwhelmed by the outside world.
Gorilla
2011
Spray Paint on canvas
40cm by 40cm
I paint apes because I see myself in them. It helps me to understand humans better, when I remember that we are all apes, busy pretending that we are not.
Jimi
2007
Mixed Media on canvas
60cm by 60cm
An homage to Jimi Hendrix, someone who has inspired me as an artist to paint freely and experiment.
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Chris Swain Art 