Ground and Unground

Mark Alexander's oeuvre has consistently delved deep into the nuanced interplay of texture and metamorphosis. In the poignant Via Negativa series (2008-09), one witnesses Alexander's pioneering foray into techniques that transcend traditional boundaries, sculpting the painted surface into almost a tactile narrative. This palpable enthrallment with texture steered him towards the beguiling and arcane subject of bog bodies. Discovered in the unique geophysical tapestries of Northern Europe, these ancient silhouettes retain their ephemeral skin and organs — a testament to nature's own artistry. They emanate an otherworldly, ageless elegance, a juxtaposition of life's fleeting fragility and its enduring memory, straddling the ethereal beauty and the unsettling macabre. Throughout history, the mystique of their preservation has enraptured artists and scholars, posing riddles of mortality and time. Drawing parallels to the Iron Age bogs—where the earth's clandestine alchemy transmutes sacrificed bodies into artifacts—Alexander's canvases become a sublime continuation of his quest to breathe new life into bygone icons.