ALLEN, Jonathan Jonathan ALLEN is a British artist who was born in 1966.
For the last 5 years his practice has evolved around the development of a unique body of work that focuses on the critical parody of a fictitious ‘gospel magician’, who goes by the name of Tommy Angel. Angel, who has been described as an incarnation of ‘Billy Graham meets David Copperfield via Donald Rumsfeld’ is a character of beguiling conception, chutzpah and evangelical charm. To date, the persona of Tommy Angel has taken form through a series of live ‘magic’ shows and black and white photographs.
Echoing the theatrical miracles of mediaeval mystery plays, ALLEN’s work alludes to the relationships between Christendom's long history and the history of stage-crafted illusion. A white tipped magician’s wand in the shape of a crucifix offers questionable salvation, the word FAITH appears on the flag of a child’s bang-gun, a bible bursts into flames when opened.
While the artistry of Angel’s power is never fully hidden, the omnipresence of magic’s relationship with religion and the relationships of power upon which both rely, is stirringly observed in ALLEN’s photographs and performances.
http://www.jonathanallen.info
Zona primaria: transformaciónZona secundaria: pensamiento de unidad
Fecha de modificaci�n: 25/08/2006 10:58
Fecha de creaci�n: 25/08/2006 11:55
Compilador: Celia Gradín