Acrylic, fluorescent pigment, triple UV varnish on canvas.

FRAMED. 70cm x 70cm.

Signed on reverse.

A hand-painted tribalesque double neon skull with airbrushed shadows, created to look as if it's protruding through the canvas. The motif sits over typographic geometric letters that spell out the abbreviation 'NSFW'. The letters are created using a series of chromatic stripes that glow in a landscape with a magenta sunset.

The abbreviation 'NSFW' is used as a reference to the common internet warning for explicit content 'Not Suitable For Work', but here I wanted it to have an additional, more ambiguous representation, where it could be read as 'Not Suitable For WHAT?!..' or any other interpretation it might inspire in the viewer.

It's a reference to our innate tribalism, whether conscious or unconscious, and how we can deliberately or accidentally exclude other people from our perceived tribe by applying superficial ideologies or judgements.

The 'Startled Artist' is an evolving Pop emblem developed as a pictorial device to capture observations and reflections on the current state of both personal and world events. It continues a lineage of motifs from recent art history beginning with Harvey Ball's Smiley Face - created during the optimism of the 60's, Keith Haring's Radiant Baby in the 80's - to Kaws X-eyed Mickey developed in the blissed-out late nineties/early noughties..

The 'Startled Artist' skull motif is the consistent and recognisable form that is positioned over any painting, photograph or video enabling a broad body of works surveying or commenting on a multitude of subjects. It represents the mind - floating through the world while the world floats through the mind..

A universal motif - the skull is seen in art across all human cultures throughout history - and as such acknowledges our shared experience and commonality. To reflect this historical context, the 'Startled Artist' skull has a tribal feel - and the motif has been reduced down to its most simplistic representation - being composed of just four lines.

At the same time, in order to assert that these artworks are created in the present - the skull is rendered as neon. This not only makes the tribal motif contemporary, but also the fact that neon gives off light - symbolises how science, knowledge and art illuminate our lives.

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