A selection of paintings from Brooklyn-based artist Alexander Harrison’s recent solo exhibition, Big World, at Kasmin gallery. With a long-held interest in the cosmos and physics, Harrison creates an “alternate dimension” in his paintings — “a universe that feels like a fever dream as shown through my eyes.” He invokes the grandiosity of the cosmos with symbols like shooting stars and moons, while simultaneously creating intimacy and a sense of groundedness by including elements from the natural world, like roots under the ground or a spider web.
Growing up in an insular, tight-knit community of family and friends in South Carolina, Harrison was always drawn toward what existed beyond the bounds of the life he knew. “I’ve always wanted to exceed my boundaries, to move far away from my upbringing and stretch myself to see what I was capable of,” he says. After leaving, he felt an uneasiness in the unknown of his future. He draws from this feeling in his painting practice, infusing his work with a surreal sense of restlessness.
Speaking about the future, as he prepares to move back to his home in the South, Harrison says: “I feel like I’m at a crossroads with my life. I’m in the midst of moving out of New York. I’m in need of a shift and I’m wondering what the change of scenery when I go back to the South will do to my work. I’ll have more time with my family and these landscapes I grew up with. It will be fun to get into plein-air painting and maybe go back to my grandpa’s farm. I feel like I have been painting from a distance and I’m ready to bring it back to center.”
See more from Alexander Harrison below!