An exceptional ART Event to take place at Chester Art Centre on September 30 at 7 PM. Come to see an edgy, scary, unconventional and truly beautiful art exhibition by the one and only Bryn Sutcliffe, who will talk about his work and explain why the paintings were born and why he will never exhibit them again. You have never seen anything like it!
“In 2011 during the summer break between the second and final year of my fine art degree course, my violent drug and drink fuelled existence had yet another major incident resulting in the breaking of my jaw and my teeth getting knocked out. After the operation my mental health took a turn for the worse and during a manic episode I began a deranged stage of writing what was the start of a novel that remains unfinished. It blurs reality and fiction in a mind bending rollercoaster ride from the depths of hell… This subsequently led to me attempting to illustrate the book with blood splattered monsters and gore-filled landscapes of the devil, but it all came across a bit obvious with heavy reliance on the cheap shock tactic. It was suggested by my tutor that there could have been a more subtle approach to disturbance…
DisTurBia project was born with the removal of the figure, now concentrating on derelict places with the idea of evoking questions from the viewer. What could have happened there? What might have been? The unknown can be far more psychologically unnerving in a far less evasive manner. At that time I had finally recovered from the operation on my jaw, but the event didn’t stop the madness of addiction. Nothing short of a miracle could do that.
My belief is that DisTurBia represents the death of painting for me as an artist and a human being, and as much as it is a contradiction of what I am and everything that came at the start of my journey as an artist, the novel is yet to be completed as the answers to its outcome are waiting in my future… DisTurBia also represents the rooms of my mind through mental breakdown, alcohol, drug addiction and violence, empty rooms of things lost, things broken and things hopeless.
This is the last showing of this work because that miracle I spoke of had happened, just for today.
DisTurBia forces the viewer to look at subject matters like mortality, suicide and catastrophe, leaving room for your own creative musings.
I will be doing dark work again (even do DisTurBia style work), but I hope to never be back in a place where I can create DisTurBia again.
This exhibition is the death of DisTurBia.
My name is Bryn and I’m an artist.”