Artist Portrait...

I recently shot this for a press release.

In the background is a portion of drei #93 as exhibited in the BankWest Contemporary Art Prize. The print size was 1200mm x 1500mm in a edition of 5.

Statement
There is a glaring difference between a flesh-coloured suit and true nakedness.

This image, together with its companion piece drei #94 (Portrait of the Artist as a Successful Human Being), forms a gateway to a larger series that addresses many personal issues.

The theatrical nature of life has been central to the series development. In particular the malleable representation of the Self and variations thereof in social interaction.

Christopher Young's recent work has had significant manipulative and ambiguous aspects to it. He finds himself hiding behind metaphor, contextualised protagonists and narrative to communicate concepts.

This piece looks at the balance between a constructed and pre-determined identity; the necessity of exposition versus a profound fear of rejection; ego versus self-loathing; and, not least of which, the desperate need for acknowledgment versus utter social ineptitude.

The veracity of this gate grounds the inherent ambiguity of the greater series.