Alix Crowe 2020 Socially Distanced Fabric, glue 1.8 m x 1.2 m
Alix Crowe 2020 Have You Washed Your Hands? Acrylic paint on clingfilm 40 cm x 30 cm
In the coronavirus emergency, our perception of the body has changed to one that is abject and somewhat terrifying. It no longer ends with the skin, but spills out into a 1.5 m radius, and leaves behind residues that settle into our atmosphere.
The reductive painting (pictured first) explores the body as a reduced mass of infected skin. I was inspired by sculptor Lucy Glendinning’s series Skins (2012), and the haunting images of deflated human figures melting away. In my work, the vague imprints of what may be a face, a hand, fade into the rest of the skin, so that all that is left is the vague impression of something that used to be human. By editing out colour, form and texture, the grotesque quality of my painting lies in its ambiguity and minimalism.
The expansive painting (pictured second) examines the way the body’s residue stains the atmosphere, constantly adding to each other. My choice in material was inspired by Bart Hess’s work with latex, specifically in his series Liquified (2011). Cling film was an effective alternative to latex that had the added benefit of transparency, so I could layer pieces over top of each other, creating a divergent, immersive experience.