Artist Statement:

This series was done at the same time as The Brexit Plan because the rise of Trump happened at around the same time as Brexit with Trump becoming the 45th President of the USA just after Brexit here in the UK. What astonished me was the similarity of the words and actions between the Brexiteers & Trump supporters. They had bought into the same rettorich as the Brexiteers had in the UK which saddened and frustraited me. If the USA could fall down this rabbit hole, what next?

What was and is it that the world appears to be crying out for? In some ways I feel it is identity they are searching for, but what is in fact a person’s identity, what does it really mean? Can it really be as simplistic as nationalism/politics/ethnicity/religion/location/interests (insert arbitrary grouping ad nauseam here)?

I was born in Scotland to Polish parents. I spoke Polish at home, and English everywhere else. I lived a sort of no-man’s-land existence, as growing I was never fully Scottish/British, having no ancestral or genetic connection there or indeed Polish as I had never lived there. I have always seen myself as European and want the UK to remain part of the EU. I believe we are far stronger and, well, just better together. We need to start seeing each other as human beings and not as “not like us” and “they’re after something that I don’t have or that I want”.

For this series of paintings I have taken inspiration from the DADA movement. My paintings are created on original old posters from “failed” movies or “fake” reprints of successful ones. I have been working on this project for about 18 months and created over 60 works as part of it, each bringing a unique and current dimension to what is going on in the real world.

Original paintings as well as prints of them are available for sale.