ALEX WILLIAMSON
I keep my mind sponge-like while I’m outside the studio. I make notes of snippets of overheard conversations, or phrases that jump out of tv shows or podcasts. I collect them all up in the notes on my phone to create a document that I can mine for gold when I get to the studio.
My aim is always to create something like a ‘slow-joke’. Never exactly funny, and so it never gets old, there’s no punch-line, but it evolves over time to develop new ways to not have a punch-line.
“I started working with quilts because of their inherent comfort and warmth. With such a welcoming appearance it’s possible to subtly introduce more ominous undertones, without causing viewers to recoil. These quilts become multifaceted self-portraits – an amalgamation of lighthearted and earnest expressions, safeguarding vulnerability within ambiguity. They are comfortable objects made in a world that’s uncomfortable, and I allow that to seep into the work.”
I think of my work as having three distinct elements, the quilt top, the motif and the text. There is no fixed starting point when I’m conceiving a piece, sometimes a quilt is built around an overheard phrase, sometimes a quick sketch of a banana peel will send me down a rabbit hole.
I make a pile of ideas for each element, then put things together, push things around, and layer things up until something emerges that feels open ended.
It’s important to me that the work remains open ended, to allow each viewer to leave with a unique interpretation.
My studio is in an old rum warehouse on The Thames. The walls and very fabric of the studio have become akin to a scrapbook, allowing me to work non-linearly. I have a lot of books that are anthologies of quilt block patterns, these are really relaxing to browse when I’m feeling a bit stuck. I love the names that are given to quilt blocks, like ‘Butterfly at the Crossroads’ and ‘Love in a Mist’, they’re little glimpses of traditions and folklore, and serve as research jumping-off points.
Alex Williamson studied at Glasgow School of Art, Mlitt Fine Art Practice, Printmaking, 2015 - 2016 and Kingston University, BAhons Fine Art, 2009 - 2012. Selected solo exhibitions include Better Weather, Xxijra Hii, London and SNAKES!!, Mount Florida Gallery and Studios, Glasgow. Group exhibitions include Hypha Studios Presents 56 Conduit Street, London; Between The Lines, Grove Collective, London and Instant Karma, SET Lewisham, London.
