Wildernesses evoke in me powerful emotions be they landscapes, urban wastelands, marine depths or political and intellectual deserts. Of these it is the urban wilderness that resonates most strongly. Having seen the Berlin Wall shortly after it was begun and the ugly spaces it created in no man’s land, Stalingrad which 20 years after the War was barren evidence of arguably the greatest battle of modern times and the waste to which parts of Belfast was laid during the late 20th century “Troubles”, it is impossible not to want to depict scenes of such importance.
These works were inspired by physically being in such places, the emotions and anger they provoked and the sense that one has to do everything to prevent a repeat of them.
The work of Adrian Ghenie, Anselm Keifer and to some extent John Piper and John Virtue were my artistic influences in their creation.