Alexander Churchill’s riveting paintings are brimming with color, each strange scene accented by pouring hues. In “Absurdist Futility” series, in particular, offers an absorbing collection of narratives and uncomfortably close portraits.
“These pieces are expressions of the absurdist nature of beliefs and reverence of meaning and purpose,” Churchill says. “Reminiscent of religious iconography and Renascence portraits, they evoke a fused dichotomy between an adoration of beauty and the sublime, and objective meaninglessness in everything. Our natural visual attraction toward the face comes into play through exploration of a fundamental fascination of the human likeness that reflects an ingrained broad narcissism in a desire for self examination and defining a direct relationship with divinity. They are meant to be simultaneously alluring and repulsive to represent the endless struggle of finding purpose in an indifferent universe.”
See more of the artist’s work below.
The word "escapism" can have a negative meaning, suggesting that escapists are unhappy and unable to connect with the world around them. It sounds like a surreal concept, but in our every day lives, on social media for example, we find ways to divert from reality. 