Photo: © Janno Bergmann, 2019
Alexander is a material and process driven artist, giving equal attention to both conceptual and studio practice. These values generally manifest in the creation of substantial material objects and/or place-making through installation or intervention in remote landscapes. He is particularly interested in the physical properties of his materials and the juxtaposition of these qualities against both metaphysical and formal negative space. Through this preoccupation, an exploration of ontological concerns has become a recurring motif in his practice. He has worked as a journeyman blacksmith in Austria, Spain, Estonia, and Italy, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas State University in San Marcos TX, and a Master of Arts degree from the Estonian Academy of Art in Tallinn. He currently resides in the Big Bend region of Far West Texas, USA where he draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape and the distinct geological features and floral phenomena that distinguish the Chihuahuan desert.
Statement:
I am interested in the irreconcilable rift between the phenomenal and the noumenal. I am interested in deep time and imperceptible change. I am interested in (a)causality, chaos/logos, and the persistence of entropy. I employ these forces through a personal practice of labor and handwork inspired by the landscape I inevitably find myself in.
I am interested in the elusive nature of “place.” I have come to understand “place” not as a singular point at the intersection of three axes – independent of time – but instead as a meaningful coincidence of two or more objects in proximity. The nature of “place” is relative both with regard to time and space, and with regard to the projection of meaning. I am interested in place-making.
k.alexander021@gmail.com