Lexi Strauss
MA work
MA work
The Twelve Apostles as Babies and The Vulnerable Party are examples of specious, fluid narratives, which I devise in order to subliminally weave works together. These stories explore the idea of individuation and the complex human relationship with the belief system.
Vulnerable Party is the search for a holy, naïve and supremely divine clown leader- humane and genuinely open, strengths and weaknesses acceptably exposed. However, as individuation is incompatible with the ‘party political’ concept, the Vulnerable Party is reduced to a hopeless one-person campaign without cabinet or voter.
The Twelve Apostles as Babies narrates the infant’s arrival for the second coming without Christ. Dressing up as Ghandi, Johnny Rotten and others, they learn the good deeds of those who came before and after them, eventually spreading their good news through various careers.
Through narrative, the work seeks out absurdity and subversion, elements that may hold insightful keys. Schopenhauer states that 'a sense of humour is the only divine quality of man', while Jung claims that 'the highest truth is one and the same with the absurd' - since true meanings are best realised in their transitions from nonsense. Thus, subjects within the paintings may appear clownish, displaying both a rigid facade and a vulnerable persona.
Info
Info
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MA Degree
School
School of Humanities
Programme
MA Painting, 2014
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Contact
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07956 124699
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Often focusing on contemporary education and parenting, my work observes escapism and segregation arising from a distorted desire to belong.
Narratives arising from interviews or the imagination are integral to the work. In addition to my core painting practice, I perform diverse recorded conversations using a ‘verbatim’ acting process to engage with people in depth.
I occasionally ventriloquise my paintings in order to tell stories. Playfully theatrical installations using projections allow objects or subjects within the imagery to breath, speak and sing collectively or as individuals.
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Degrees
- B A (Hons) Fine Art, Hereford College of Art, 2011
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Experience
- Lecturer, University of Gloucester, 2014; Lecturer, Wolverhampton University, 2014; Lecturer, Hereford College of Art, 2014; Gallery talk and performance, Worcester Museum and Gallery, 2013
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Exhibitions
- John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Gallery, Liverpool, 2014 ; Neat 14, HATCH, Nottingham, 2014; Solo exhibition planned, MAC, Birmingham, 2015; Empty Chairs (solo show), The Institute of Art and Ideas during the Hay Festival, Hay on Wye, 2013; PNTG NOV, Henry Moore Gallery Royal College of Art, London, 2013; REACT, Dilston Grove Gallery, London, 2013; Anthology, Charlie Smith Gallery, London, 2013 ; Diseased Brethren (Art Licks), Asylum, London, 2013; Notes to Self, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, 2013; Derwent Drawing Prize, Mall Galleries, London, 2013; Secret Postcard, RCA, London, 2013 and 2014; Candid Arts, Universitat der Kunste, Berlin, 2012
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Awards
- Elmley Foundation Award, 2013; Windsor and Newton Scholarship, Royal College of Art, 2012; Highly Commended, W- ca Open, 2013; First Prize, Hereford Open, 2012; New Graduate Award, The Drawing Gallery, 2011
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Publications
- The State of Art, Barehill Publishing, 2014; ARC magazine 17(2), 2013; Roves and Roames Magazine 3, 2011