Artist Statement: A.M.Hanson ("alexcalledsimon") Born: 1969,
Yorkshire,England. Describing himself as `happily self-taught` with encouragement from family (his mother was an ex art teacher) and local school and college art tutors. He left the formal education system early and moved to London to begin an `adventure with a tripod and notebook`. One of Alex's first projects was an exploration of the fall of The Berlin Wall (1989) for an American production company. These images (including a set of photographs "Landscape in Serial Shadow" from the window of a plane) would later be exhibited in shops,bars and gallery spaces across London throughout the next decade. During the early-mid 1990s Alex documented aspects of the newly flourishing `brit-art/pop`,avant-garde and underground scenes of London. He also took an active role in developing solo and collaborative mixed/multi-media work. His series "New Disco Portraits" was made in street daylight and studios as much as at night-time. A natural outlet for this body of work was in publications such as ID Magazine, Skin 2 and other scene periodicals (1991-1995). His photographs
of performer and art muse Leigh Bowery's last show prompted publisher
Robert Violette to call it; Other archive photo-works from this period (including his semi-iconic "Pink Sheila"/1994) appeared in the large group retrospective of 20th Century London nightlife `Queer Nation` (Elms Lesters Painting Rooms/London/2002). An audio/picture book `We Love You` (Booth Clibborn/1998) saw new portraits and other images contributed alongside the work of more established names. Over the last few years Alex has broaden his work practices, concentrating on new ways to present the photo/drawn-image. Works-on-paper such as his felt pen and graphite `Island/Map drawings` (Aerial N0.2/Vexed Generation/London/1999) and later "Paper Hats For A Country Tramp" (various/London/2002-4). Several recordings (both studio/live and dvd) have been made of his texts and songs (1993/1998-2004). During a working trip to New York (Spring/2002) Alex created a group of works (photographs and charcoal/text drawings) in a city once more finding sunshine. He documented an experimental film shoot by Wolfgang Tillmans made in central London ("Shooting`The Master`"/2003). Other mix.med. work includes a giant `art-balloon` release from a boat moored opposite the London Eye ("Ephemera Cloud"/2003). Recent shows included a collaboration with Yoke & Zoom's Japan vending machines project (Rice+/Kyojima/Tokyo/2003). The artist presented a series of tiny prints ("Eye Patches for the Urbanite") derived from his drawings. A sculptural `nest/hollow` ("Simon Dearest..."/2003) was exhibited for The Centre of Attention Gallery (`Featuring` at Century/London/2003/4). A study of the royal family,tourists and members of the public was made during the opening of the now already infamous memorial fountain for Diana ("English Wisteria"/London/2004). A.M.Hanson's work incorporates photographic prints and installations, works-on-paper, mixed media `objects`, text,songs (audio/action) and notebooks and picture books. In his collection of work Eco/Loco-based `personality` concept characters such as "Country Tramp", "Susan Tripod", "Rebel Against Thing", "Missy Island" and others, present themselves to the world in a range of definitive and evolving guises and formats. "Nature hits the city streets, the Country Tramp has veered off the footpath...." New work
is always in progress, as archive work gradually re-enforces his commitment
ethic and practices. |
Alex Hanson
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