"UNDER CONSTRUCTION"
"In this way the sketching is a little like a spirit or soul without a body, and this spirit is brought to life with oil paint."
Under Construction is a recital in paint. It seeks to narrate construction work as labour, philosophy and narrative. Alexander's paintings depict construction workers and seek to discuss construction as a fundamental, yet largely overlooked aspect of our lives, and this discussion happens on two levels. First, the act of construction is seen as a transformation from nature into artifice (e.g rubble and stone transforming into a road through human labour); and secondly sees construction as a metaphor for the underlying 'make-up' of our world. Large paintings (4ft x 4ft) coupled with smaller paintings (20cm x 20cm) provide a constrast which highlights details and larger, more overwhelming elements of this theme.
All of these paintings begin with a sketch, or a photograph on the wing which is sketched down later. The spontaneity and viscerality achieved through sketching from life is a quality that Alexander seeks to embody in oil paint through techniques such as glazing and rapid yet considered mark-making. In this way the sketching is a little like a spirit or soul without a body, and this spirit is brought to life with oil paint.
The act of making a painting is also a type of construction, and, for Alexander, oil paints with their earthiness and substantiability provide the ideal medium for depicting construction.
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