Alex Game Fall of the U.A.C Crusader (detail) intaglio & aquatint Human history is filled with conflict over race, ideology and environment. It seems to be an almost inevitable part of human relationships and the world we live in. I have an avid interest in history, particularly military history; and as much as I don’t advocate violence, I am fascinated by the resources and time humans have devoted to warfare and the art of killing each other. My work references the historical archetypes of the warrior, but placed within an ambiguous timeframe and location; this could be an alternative history, a post apocalyptic future where humanity continues to fight each other in a world decimated by chemical and nuclear warfare. Or is it a mythological battleground, a kind of dystopian Valhalla where humanity is condemned to eternal warfare with a demonic enemy? Juxtaposing natural flora and fauna with industrial and urban elements; I find both equally fascinating from an aesthetic point of view, but land that has been ‘developed’ by humans seems to lack something we find in an untouched natural environment. As we plunder the land for resources it becomes denuded and is turned into a wasteland, devoid of life. Traditional forms of storytelling from Assyrian sculpture, to the Bayeux tapestry inform my work, with the use of multiple panels and long scrolls used to build a sense of an epic narrative or a grand adventure. New Bestiarum is a group exhibition of printmaking and drawing by Alex Game, kyoko Imazu and Emmet O’Dwyer. The show runs from May 2-25, 2013.
