Layers of our Past & Present. Denis Brown 1993, 124 x 162 cm.
Calligraphy and mixed media on paper folios, 124 x 162 cm
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A work from the Ancient Codex
Series, where huge wall mounted books are presented burnt, defaced,
diseased or decaying. The series is an allegory of the decline of spiritualism
in modern culture.
A brick wall was built onto the pages of this manuscript,
a barrier to the underlying gospel text. The bricks (simulated
by carved and painted foam) are reminiscent of those on countless buildings
which are being corroded by atmospheric pollution and acid rain.
Writing
rises to the surface again... but no longer Celtic calligraphy expressing
glories of Ireland's holy past. This time it is crude graffiti, symptom
of modern social oppression. Rusted barbed wire further symbolizes the
oppression of post-industrial slums.
Each of these forms of writing- graffiti and graceful insular
script- has its own unique energy and dynamics, and each has a value and
inspiration for me. If we can find a harmony between these apparent
opposites, then maybe we begin to know ourselves.
Collection, Irish Life PLC.
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