Zavier, who took your eye this time?
I‘m going for two of the founding PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA artists in Graham Dolphin and Sam Jackson, and relative newcomer Lisa Ivory.
Tell us a bit about each selection starting with Graham Dolphin:
The use of text in work is a personal interest of mine, and in fact I’ve collected a number of pieces by Graham since the project began. These three are a new departure and are iconic in their adoption of the crucifix, and similarly religious iconography is of great interest to me. Within the crucifix Dolphin writes the full lyrics of his chosen song. The obsessiveness appeals to me, as does the artist’s relationship with music and popular culture.
And your second choice – Lisa Ivory:
Lisa Ivory effortlessly moves between oil on canvas and oil on paper, always maintaining her core interests. There are mythological overtones and suggestions of deep history, and in this series the notion of a picture within a picture is intriguing. The subject might be depicting reality, memory or imagination, and speaks of the primal urge to draw. One is also minded of the relationship between nature and culture.
And finally – Sam Jackson:
Interestingly, there are a number of touchpoints between Sam and Graham. Sam’s use of text is more specifically within graffiti territory, and I appreciate his raw, naïve style, referencing desktop, nightclub wall or toilet cubicle graffiti rather than stylised graff. It’s very interesting to see Sam adopting contemporary photos rather than historical paintings, which creates a new prism through which we see his work. And I’m a big Siouxsie Sioux fan—she’s accompanied me through hours of studio practice myself—so it has to be this piece for me.