Later this month we look forward to welcoming Saints, an exhibition by James Kessell, to our Crypt Gallery. Ahead of this exciting installation, James tells us a little more about the inspiration behind his work...
"The initial inspiration for this ongoing body of portraits was the realisation that so many of my male friends, family and acquaintances have either Biblical or Saints' names.
So arose the concept of 'Saints' - a series of initially twelve large charcoal portraits in which I would set out to capture, without props or symbolism, not only the outward likeness of each sitter, but something beyond - something of their inner self, their Story, and of course my own insights and responses to them as people I know, appreciate and love.
In so doing I also allude to traditions of composition and the expressions of the saints that look out at us from the paintings, murals and icons of art history. One sitter suggested it sounded like 'a deconstructed Last Supper'. Although I do not set out to be that literal or contrived, I am mindful not only of how the viewer engages with each 'saint' but of how they might perhaps interact with each other in the space.
'Saints' is also a development of two other works. The first was the focus of my 2019 exhibition 'Gethsemane' in the Hostry of Norwich Cathedral during which I created a monumental 12ft x 8ft free-standing triptych - in situ and in the public view - commemorating the Aberfan disaster of 1966 using a mix of coal dust, soot and charcoal as my medium. Drawing the tragic faces of the mourners at a large scale was a creative and technical challenge and a hugely emotional experience. And there was something about using a fragile exposed medium at scale that made the work feel more sculptural than two dimensional and something I wanted to explore further.
The second work - a self portrait which will also be shown in this exhibition - came about after diagnosis of a recurrence of cancer in late 2020. The pandemic meant surgery was delayed for two years, by which time extensive facial reconstruction was necessary. This led me to thinking about the vulnerability of self-image and 'likeness' and I made a charcoal self portrait expressing how I looked and felt the day the first bandages came off.
The experiences and insights from making those works have fed directly into 'Saints'. I do not consider the portraits shown here to be finished. I want to present them as living works, reflecting that the subjects themselves are also works in progress. And for that reason I have decided not to put them behind glass but to leave them exposed. This is a risk - it makes them vulnerable. But it also makes them more alive - the fragile surface texture more apparent and engaging. And it allows scope for me to continue to develop them in the gallery space.
In historical art and iconography the image of a saint is never just an outward likeness - in most cases it couldn't possibly be so. Rather it must communicate something deeper, the extent to which the saint lived an extraordinary life. Thinking beyond the simple coincidence of sharing a name, what is a Saint if not someone living an extraordinary life? Isn't every life extraordinary? And are we not all vulnerable, unfinished works in progress?"
Saints, will be exhibiting at The Crypt Gallery from Thursday 20 to Saturday 29 April, from 11:00 - 16:00 daily (closed Sundays). Exhibition supported by KM Grant, Surrey (kmgrant.co.uk).
