Alexander de Cadenet 2014

ALEXANDER DE CADENET Artist Information and Statement Alexander de Cadenet’s art reveals a search for meaning inspired by his life experiences. His artworks combine the sacred with the humorous. His most widely known works are the ongoing series of photographic ‘Skull Portraits’ based on x-rays of his subjects, which explore the themes of fame, life/death and the role of portraiture. His other celebrated works are sculptures cast out of extra-terrestrial meteorite metal and the Life-Line paintings on metal sheets. De Cadenet’s art uses a personal yet universal language of symbolism, which includes skulls, female forms, reticulated paint surfaces, circles, apples, stars, shadows or multi-coloured painted lines as metaphors of life-journeys. Skull Portraits The ‘skull portraits’ were developed in the mid 1990’s and the concept was first presented in 1996 at a show entitled, ‘Atmosphere’. Since their inception, the skulls have evolved stylistically. The first skull portrait presented in a warehouse space on the Kings Road in Chelsea was an actual radiograph of the artist’s own head cut out from its black background and sandwiched in between two sheets of clear Perspex suspended from the ceiling. In 2000, the first multi-coloured skull cibachrome photographic portraits were presented at the Museum of Modern Art Ostend and also the celebrated 30 Underwood Street Gallery in Shoreditch, a gallery showing works by many of the YBA’s such as Chris Offilli, Tracy Emin and Gavin Turk as well as international artists such as Iraqi. This collection of skulls entitled Celebrities Series were the largest sized works to date – 5 feet wide by 10 feet high. These works were also presented in the middle of the Kenyan bush in a show attended by many of the Masai tribe living in the area, and resulted in the skull portrait of the Chief of the Masai being flown to Nairobi to have his skull portrait made. This was then auctioned by Christy Turlington for the benefit of the Tanzania Wildlife Fund. Other series of subjects followed, Religious Subjects at The Museum of Emotions, (2000), British Spies at The Courtauld Institute of Art, (2003), The Hitler Skull Portrait, Aquarium Gallery, (2005) and the skulls forming part of the Life-Force exhibition at the Alexia Goethe Gallery (2010).