Monday 25 May 2015

ARTIST SHOT: KEVIN D'ARCY

 
KEVIN D'ARCY works in a variety of medias, free of any specific specialism. D'Arcy uses colour as a central component in his work, using it as a narrative evoking themes of wealth and movement. More recently he was looked into the portrayal of form through exploring the parameters of painting. Here we look into today's society, it's preconceptions and how he will approach this for Paradise.






How did you envisage the theme of Paradise when you proposed it for the show?

Well I envisioned my own view on paradise in which I don't really know what would be my paradise. I am made to believe that it would be somewhere tropical where it will be enriched with wealth. If that's something of material value or something more essential such as vegetation or maybe both. I originally envisioned a place or setting over a feeling.



Do you feel that in today's modern society wealth and materialism is an important factor to take into consideration in art and how do you explore this in your own work?

I think it is extremely important because it is such a strong and controversial subject. It has sustained yet divided our culture for centuries. It takes responsibility for the majority of our dreams and our nightmares. To me, wealth is associated with opulence and debauchery. I like to explore this through the use of colour and texture, to make my pieces rich with senses and emotions associated with wealth and materialism, almost to capture the instant, distorted, pretentious high that it creates.



You spoke about your enjoyment of using colour and texture, how do you approach these factors and what materials/techniques do you tend to employ when working?

Well first of all I plan to use acrylic paint only and gold leaf. I plan to make as many textures through the use of a paint brush creating different marks that I hope to encourage the viewer to feel with their hands. My interest with public interaction is way too strong to ignore. Ultimately I would the public to alter and mark the painting through the use of touching or scratching and picking at the painting. Thus change "my" "ideal" paradise. Symbolises the affect other people have on my perception of paradise.



This comes to me as a very unconventional but exciting idea, potentially using this interaction to create viewer as medium. Does their interaction represent interference as a negative or does it hold other connotations?

Some would view the idea of foreign interaction as a negative but I see it as a way to grow. Everyone's experience and interpretation of something is always affected by others. It's part of being a human being. I would like to show this piece as a reflection of human interference in our mind and our goal. Paradise is a goal that everyone has. It's the only thing that we all share. Just as our exhibition will show, it will be very unique for each individual person. I don't want to show or sway the viewer in a certain mindset but rather let them take what they want from it.



With this in mind what do you view the public perception of less traditional art, such as the infamous Glasgow art scene, to be?

I think they are just ignorant to less traditional pieces. They don't understand it. I think people believe they NEED to get understand it. I, myself, for a long time struggled to understand it as I believed that you must have to get the 'right' answer from it. But now it's clear that what I take from less traditional is that you don't need to understand it, there is no 'right' answer. It's all in what YOU get from it. Each person will get different emotions and ideas from the piece, due to that fact that they've all lived different lives. Like what I want to show in my pieces .Which makes it so rich and diverse.



If you could impart the viewer with one thing to take away from your work, or indeed the show as a whole, what would it be?

I would like for them to take the exhibition lightly. Perhaps for them to contemplate their own paradise. Their paradise may have even been further distorted after viewing our pieces. I would like them to view paradise with an open mind, and allow it for it to be altered or completely changed altogether by others.
 
 

 
Learn more about Kevin D'arcy by following the link to his page and visiting his social media outlets. You can also continue to keep up to date with the exhibition by following our instagram @paradise_exhibition and the blog

 

 

 

 
Article by Emma Hislop

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