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     c o m p e t i t i o n:   inside out
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More Than MEat #6
Pencil and Charcoal on Paper
1.5 x 2.5 meters
Stockholm [Sweden] 
8,000. USD
                                                                                                                                                        

 
artist statement

More Than MEat. In this series I want to use flesh to literally ‘embody’ a thought. I want the patterns and textures I observe in the skin to serve as a vocabulary, hinting at the idea that drives all that is seen on the surface. Each drawing stands at 2.5 meters high and is achieved using a combination of pencil and rubbers.

Inspired by drawing cadavers these drawings collectively represent the captivity we suffer and the joy we experience through thinking.

On this scale the human figure transforms into something often unrecognisable. The undulating flesh become landscapes into which we are free to wander and explore without the constraints of familiarity. Like stepping outside of yourself and seeing your thoughts objectively, seeing them for what they are and choosing whether to recognise them and thus allow them to dominate or not. The fact that I use myself in each of these pieces is very important. If each drawing literally embodies the inner sanctum of my head then they stand as a mirror in which I look back at myself. I may not like what I see but their unashamed honesty can’t be ignored. They demand not to be.

Over the course of 3-4 months, which is the average time each of these drawings takes, this process of ‘embodiment’ takes place. The process is as important as the drawing that remains at the end. It is a performance of depicting or capturing something so transient as a thought but using ridiculously small materials to do so. The piece at the end imposes itself with permanence yet embodies something so fleeting.

It is the illusion of the permanent and the fleeting that is at the core of my work. I go to great lengths to ensure the illusion of solidity remains constant no matter the distance the viewer is to the work. Expressive marks are removed from these early drawings. However, as the series progresses the drawings will become lighter and freer as the thoughts they embody do so. 

bio

Julian Farrar was born in London in 1972. After school he studied at Wimbledon School of Art and in 1995 went to Camberwell College of Art for his BA in Fine Art and Graphics. During this time he specialised in figurative sculpture incorporating drawing and photography. 

Since graduating from college, Julian has worked as a commissioning portrait artist, a jewellery maker and designer, prop maker for films and theatre, life drawing tutor and teacher of Art and Photography. 

Recently Julian has won places in several online competitions including Art Kudos International Juried Art Competition 2 years 2009 and 2010. He has had his drawings published in International Drawing Annuals and Art publications such as American Artist Magazine, Drawing edition. In 2010 Julian was selected as a finalist in the LICC (London International Creative Competition) and received a trophy for his More Than MEat series.

Currently Julian lives in Stockholm, Sweden with his wife and 2 children. His life is an inspiring juggling act between parenthood and artist.


OTHER WORK BY JULIAN FARRAR