A.K.A: Portraits of Alter Egos
March 13, 2010 | Levent OZLER
London Miles Gallery announced A.K.A, a solo exhibition of brand new work by London based artist, Alex Young.
Traversing the boundaries of Fine Art, Illustration, and Graffiti, Alex Young's latest body of work investigates the social phenomena of 'alter-ego's', informed by the artist's own experiences as both a graffiti writer and purveyor of Fine Art.
Alex Young's finely detailed pointillist style portraits feature at the centre of A.K.A, deriving from a series of personal interviews with a range of pseudonymous characters, from burlesque dancers to heavy metal guitarists.
His resultant monolithic portraits, whilst photorealistic from afar, on closer inspection offer a wealth of illustrative detail and subtle nuances, alluding to the subjects "performed" identity.
Adorning his portraits with multi-layered symbolism and imagery, Young elicits a multitude of narrative strands in these thought-provoking and complex paintings.
Rendered primarily in spray paint, Young's medium of choice points to years of dedication as a graffiti writer - an endeavour committed to alongside his time spent in formal art training.
Compelled to highlight others who nurture such a dual-personality, and the social prejudices and stereotypes that necessitate this "alter-ego" phenomena, A.K.A is an acutely sociological examination of the all too often bigoted and judgemental nature of collective social consciousness.
more: londonmiles.blogspot.com/2010/02/lmg-interview-wit (103)
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