Alex Brown (b. 1966)

American artist Alex Brown often turns to computer graphic programs during the early stages of his work. Images are broken down and reduced to a cluster of pixels as is the case in Untitled, 2010, which contour and abstract the work at the same time. What appears to be a complete distinguishable portrait from afar turns out to be a constellation of watercolour dabs on paper. The evolution of Brown’s work can be mapped in relation to his manipulation of the canvas space which is usually regulated by an Op-art-like grid but then grows into its own, expanding in concentric circles and fluid shapes to reach the organic free biomorphic forms of Untitled, 2005 and Untitled, 2009 (a similar work being in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York). These chart Brown’s interest in creating an artistic experience in the aftermath of his works, veiling his subject and giving it its ephemeral quality that seems to shift and change with the viewer’s personal reflection. In an interview he candidly said that ‘As for myself, I really don’t try to overthink my work. That’s not to say I don’t consider how things will look both as singular objects and as a body of work, but there’s a fine line between work which is considered and work which becomes something more analytical. It’s sort of like that fuzzy line that I sometimes straddle between abstraction and representation. It’s a real balancing act to make work clean and crisp while still maintaining a comfortable, not quite casual, presence emanating from the work.’ (A. Brown, quoted in alexbrownart.com [accessed 17 March 2016]). The irony of the precise artistic process leading to a camouflaged and abstracted but nonetheless highly engaging visual experience is part of the dialogue Brown initiates, one where illusion is essential to challenging perception.