MIASMA

StolenSpace Gallery is proud to debut work by Philadelphia born artist Alex Eckman-Lawn. His solo show, ‘MIASMA’, is a collection of new work that pushes his multi-layered craftsmanship to a larger scale.

Alex’s artistic roots are grounded in illustrating, which serves to support his acute, compositional eye when creating the hand-cut paper collages. In his collage work, Alex uses everything from his original digital paintings to imagery from old medical texts to create new dimensions. Each layer is spaced, creating a depth that draws the viewer further into the work, and alters the composition of the image when viewed from different perspectives.

“Centuries ago, people used to think that plague was carried in literal noxious clouds, a sentient, cruel smoke. I know there’s no truth to Miasma theory, medically speaking.  As a hypochondriac I’m obsessively aware  of how COVID-19 is transmitted, how it “functions” without bias or cruelty. Still, I can feel this miasma all around me. It’s becoming clearer by the day that my country, the US, isn’t currently able or even willing to stop this spread. At this point I don’t fear the disease so much as the people who seem to work as its willing accomplices, and the systems that support them. Cruelty and stupidity smashed together in a self-propelled, howling maelstrom.  I’ve seen my family locked away from me, my friends tear-gassed, my loved ones threatened or worse, and still the screaming charge of the miasma echoes through the air. 

My work is often about the fear of my body’s inner process. I am my body’s captive, unable to see what betrayals lurk under the surface. I search for safety in my work, for comfortable spaces, security inside myself, and for control. I am the surgeon and the architect, in complete control of the world I create, and what makes up the inner layers.  In Miasma I’ve shifted my perspective outward to confront a seemingly new world – a wasteland of fetid debris, of meat and muck – and to contend with the fact that it’s always been there under the surface, whether I could see it or not. With this body of work, I’ve pushed myself to work bigger, pack more into every image, and force myself into new conceptual areas. I think it might be the most honest work I’ve made. 

I still monitor my every breath, but I know to watch those around me just as closely.” – Alex Eckman Lawn, 2020

Alex’s work has appeared in a number of comic books including the two time Eisner Award winning comic ‘Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream’. His work can also be spotted on album covers, book covers, posters, T-shirts, and has appeared in music videos and newspapers. Alex has exhibited his work across the USA from New York to California, as well as in his home city of Philadelphia.

To register interest for this show please email or telephone +44 (0)207 247 2684.