Artist Talk with Michael Restrick

The works on display have been selected for their connection to the theatrical, be it a performer, show or the act of life itself. Exploring the human predicament including physical, mental & emotional dimensions. It involves universal experiences such as birth, death, growth, as well as a wide spectrum of feelings like happiness, ambition and despair. Paintings are informed by personal experiences, historical reference and stories. Using a repertoire of recurring objects as metaphor. Works evolve along the way, leaving their mark. His new ‘found object’ pieces have manifest from playful dark humour, a commentary on modern day life. ‘If there is no product we are the product’, we have been sold out, played by business dividends ‘we all have a price on our heads’. Whereas ‘What’s a lemon between friends’ subverts the term. Works of this genre are often ambiguous by design. They set out to challenge what art is? Such works are so idiosyncratic they demand interpretation. Restrick will be in conversation with Tim Edgar at The Mowlem on the 28th January at 7pm in The Mowlem Studios.