ALEX ROBERTS, INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

7/7a Gt. Guildford Business Square, London 
3 November – 3 December, 2011

British artist Alex Roberts unveils her new series of works, Individual Liberty, at a space in South East London, the artistic hub of the capital, this autumn. The works, on show from 3rd November – 3rd December 2011, vibrantly and playfully celebrate the unsung beauty of fearlessness. By capturing individuals’ characteristics and placing them in the spotlight, Roberts’ portraits are candid insights into the worlds of others, and compel the viewer to contemplate what beauty really is. They urge the viewer to admire external individuality whilst simultaneously acknowledging our shared internal temperaments.

Through her paintings Roberts highlights how vulnerability is not a weakness: to allow ourselves to be vulnerable is to possess the confidence to let go of our own and others’ preconceptions, and therefore free ourselves of society’s constraints. Roberts applies humour and fantastical imagery to express such truths and uses them as a tool to reveal the true essence of the human character, the individual that lies behind this veil of self assurance.

The exhibition offers the viewer the opportunity to introspectively view their own personal world, examining how we deal with our own subjectivity. Roberts has likened her concept to a pictorial expression of Doris Lessing’s notion that “Writing about oneself, one is writing about others, since our problems, pains, pleasures, emotions – and your extraordinary and remarkable ideas – can’t be yours alone.”

Roberts is a supporter of the Time to Change campaign, which aims to put an end to the stigma attached to mental health issues.  The works in her forthcoming exhibition mirror the ambitious objectives of the campaign by communicating the idea that accepting both our own and others’ differences would give us all the chance to flourish: “We don’t need flawless robots. We need human beings with rough edges.” (Sue Baker, Director, Time to Change)

Alex Roberts

Alex Roberts studied at City of Bath Art College and Reading University before completing a postgraduate course at the London College of Printing.  She is an accomplished artist working predominantly with paint, whilst she also explores other media such as film and installation.

Currently, Roberts’ studio practice focuses on the figure.  She questions the normality of human characteristics and explores the emotions that fuel our character. The resulting work invites the viewer to question how he or she perceives their own world and offers a provocative and often humorous take on the sometimes different world of others. 

Time to Change

Time to Change is England's most ambitious programme to end the discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.  Mind and Rethink are leading the programme, which is funded with £16m from the Big Lottery Fund and £4.5m from Comic Relief, and evaluated by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London.  For more information go to www.time-to-change.org.uk  

7/7a Gt. Guildford Business Square
Gt. Guildford Street
London, SE1 0HS. 

Enquiries/catalogues:
info@alexroberts.fsnet.co.uk 

Tel: 07765 891 166

Nearest tube: Southwark. Tubes & Trains: London Bridge, Waterloo.

Image Credits: Suppertime, (Dr. Footlights), Showgirl series 2009-10, Alex Roberts