EPHEMERAL EXHIBITION:  ARTIST STATEMENT 

Everything that has been brought into existence will someday cease to remain. Attempts to suppress the reality of such knowledge are futile as this is the perennial cycle into which we are born. Everything lies on the continuum of the former and the forthcoming.

My practice explores these fundamentals in a bid to accept the realisation that, one day, I will be forced to navigate this world without the physical guidance of my parents. Through the exploration of painting, drawing, photography, poetry and other writings, I find myself contemplating the notion of identity in juxtaposition with the documentation of an individual’s transitory presence.

Intimate and spare in both content and scale, my paintings act as an extension of a visual diary, as I attempt to articulate my perceptions of significant others. This has led to the instigation of several lines of enquiry, questioning ancestry integrated with present interactions. I’ve documented a primal instinct to overcome COVID-19 induced solitude, which brought my housemates together in a momentary symbiotic relationship.

Emulating antiquated photo albums, the exhibiting work concentrates exclusively on greyscale. This enables continuity between subjects whilst avoiding unnecessary peripherals. 

 Ephemeral is a collection of A4 exposed wood panel board paintings kindled by my housemates’ lockdown project to simulate a beer garden made out of abandoned shipping pallets left on the streets of Brighton. The curious interaction between oil on untreated wood renders a tangible manifestation of impermanence as, over time, each painting will slowly decay; a physical metaphor for the inevitable corporeal transitions of sentient beings.

Mel Mullen, 2021

Instagram @melmullenart