The exhibition of new oil paintings and glazed porcelain delves further into Alison’s style of hyper-detailed and fantastical realism. Drawn from a diverse range of influences from the Pre-Raphaelites and the Post-Impressionists, to Russian fairy tale illustration and Art Deco design, the paintings create a tension as this heritage of styles meld into a vision of another time. Displayed as a series of small installations, the paintings will be shown alongside a collection of ceramic mementos also created by the artist. The ceramics relate to the narrative of each piece and are mirrored in the paintings. These actualized relics further envelop the viewer into the painting’s scene.
Story and character development are an increasingly significant component to Alison’s work. The show will be the first chapter in a series of “History of Magic” exhibitions, which will tell the tale of a mystic who lives alone in the woods and sets out on a journey to create a mysterious object that will change the world. In part a creation myth with roots in folklore, the story achieves mythology as a “reverse Pandora’s box” and stems from the artists interest in these moralizing fables that have persevered throughout human history.
The show takes its title from a nineteenth-century French book on sacred imagery and mysticism. As the first chapter, “The Hermitage” relates to the spiritual component of Alison’s work, as a type of monastery space that combines work and devotion. The installations themselves can be seen as altarpieces, in reference to the nature of her art practice and her childhood in a Wiccan home.