Andrew Litten: Concerning the Fragile

[dropcap style=”font-size:100px;color:#992211;”]A[/dropcap]nima Mundi reopen with Concerning The Fragile, a solo exhibition of large scale figurative paintings, bronze sculpture and mixed media works on paper by British artist Andrew Litten.

The exhibition reflects the fragility of life with a succinct relevance to the recent world crisis, unguardedly exploring complex states of our contemporary condition through a multifaceted body of work. As Litten states, ‘The work itself is intended to be unguarded, full of raw nerves and emotionally varied. I look to create art that speaks of the love, anger, loss, personal growth and the private confusions we all experience in our lives. Where our vulnerability is made apparent, there is then a potential to relate to others. I want this exhibition to nurture a life-affirming sense of our shared humanity and encourage wider readings of compassion. Empathy is powerful.’ The profundity of this endeavour is all the more notable as it has been completed and assembled following the tragic passing of his wife Emma last year, which both overshadows and prescribes a subtext for this exhibition.

The work itself expresses commitment to the power of hand-manipulated media, carrying a prolonged focus of energy and intensity to the viewer. For Litten, reassessment, manipulation and exploration of the unfamiliar are intrinsic to finding artistic articulacy. Traditional portraiture becomes a format for the representation of dependence (Alcohol Now and Drugs Combination 1,2,3), breakdown (Emma – With Noise), faith (Blessed and Praying), passing (Head of a Dying Man) and responsibility (Father and Child). Larger scale allegorical compositions (Seated Man With Animals and Discredited) tackle wider anxieties of the uncomfortable animal instincts within us that are often thinly veiled by civility.

The exhibition will be linked to the charity Cornwall Mind, fundraising and gaining feedback regarding how resources can be developed to offer further support to help local people.

An online preview takes place from 20 June. For further information, visit Anima Mundi’s  exhibition page here.