‘Year's end, all corners of this floating world, swept’- Matsuo Bashō


The role of an artist like scientists - if indeed artists do have a role - is to question and to present those questions in a way that others may contemplate and take forward.

This leads me to question how we all view the surrounding world and how we order it in our minds. Is a landscape static or fluid? Does it have one viewpoint or multiple viewpoints? A fixed absolute point in space is neither fixed nor absolute. The march of time has shown to be an illusion appearing at once to be both linear and non-linear. Is an artwork anything other than a collection of materials, thoughts and particles? Perhaps it is a political action or merely a selfish undertaking? The only explanation is to ask more questions and to keep doing so.

I have long been interested in the artform of Ukiyo-e from the term Ukiyo meaning Floating World in Japanese. The floating world was synonymous with a life of emotion, extravagance and pleasure that somehow at the same time hinted at the boredom and dullness of everyday life. In fact, Ukiyo is a homophone to the Japanese term for Sorrowful World. I am fascinated by the way these artworks often present a picture plane that is both indoors and outdoors at the same time. I have sought to utilise these elements of the Ukiyo-e in contemporary settings and to combine them with current issues and concerns such as the environment.

The artworks I have been producing recently are what I like to call misappropriations. I enjoy reworking artworks sourced from junk shops, skips and car boot sales. Using these as a well-prepared ground or starting point to confuse and blur the lines between the figurative and abstract worlds.

Neil Irons - born 1964 in Scotland and based in London since the late ’80s. I studied fine art in Dundee (BA) and Chelsea (MA). My visual practise incorporates painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, and film. I have exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and have carried out and been shortlisted for many public art commissions and various art projects and residencies.

CV

Video Channel - vimeo.com/neilironsartist 

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