Alan Disparte
Statement
Painting: The "sameness" of urban sprawl has created in me a desire for the authenticity of home. In my paintings, one may note an exploration into memory, as I use multiple techniques to distress or imply history, deliberately manufacturing recollections of my own making. Organic shapes and symmetry found in both nature and our human anatomy create weightless ambiguity, where familiar forms are seen in unfamiliar ways. The framework for many of my pieces invokes inquiry into the creation and compression of time. Our conditioned relationship to the traditional human construct of time becomes suspended. Unexpected combinations of color and structural motifs interact with my own reminiscences, navigating between what I recall having once existed, and what is now lost in the fog of our mass-produced, mass-manipulated “truth."
Video, Sculpture: My work is a direct response to the subversion of reality in the media of the moment. I explore the increasingly fine line between innocence and the unknown, using nostalgic references to sharply contrast the subject matter. My objective is to expose the hidden angst that may lie beneath an otherwise seductive surface.
Cubical Paintings / Spray Paint, Mixed Media: This series, entitled “Proxemics,” examines the region that most people regard as physically and psychologically their own. Many people think of their personal space as the air between their body and an invisible shield or bubble, which they have formed around themselves as they navigate through their daily lives. My interest is to highlight what might otherwise be this invisible shield, represented as a cubicle. Similar to people, each cube is individually unique but shares a common physical exterior. Through each composition, there is a way to enter the central parts of a box—this pathway and internal space are what I consider to be "Intimacy." My hope is to capture the complexity of our relationship to self, one another, and the world through layers of our own perceptions and personal presentations.
Encaustic / Physiognomy: Through the process of melted wax (Encaustic Ink Transfer), I explore and challenge ideas about beauty by shifting the markers of facial and body aesthetics. The fragility of the Encaustic medium reflects the same tenuous relationships between physical appearance, ego, symmetry and complex belief systems based on historic and modern standards of beauty.
Accessories / Guns: There is a social culture surrounding guns: it contains unseen codes of behavior and powerful predictors of behavioral intentions. In this series the fragility of the Encaustic Ink Medium Transfer reflects the tenuous relationships that exist between gender, ego, power and complex beliefs based on a gun’s encoded symbolism. By using imagery composed of cosmetics and jewelry I attempt to disarm the physical potency of the guns silhouettewhile I explore the artifice of make up, costuming, gender roles and mortality.