Monolith/Relic
Artwork by Alex Eckman-Lawn
May 27 - June 19, 2022

Paradigm Gallery is pleased to present Monolith/Relic, a solo exhibition of new works by Philadelphia artist Alex Eckman-Lawn. Monolith/Relic features three-dimensional collages borne of a hybrid process of digital and hand techniques. Eckman-Lawn’s newest body of work, Monolith/Relic, is a continuation of his well-honed mixed media practice that embraces his growing interest in chaos, chance, and the relinquishment of control. Featuring source imagery from classical sculpture to botanical illustration, the works in Monolith/Relic draw from expansive archives of visual culture to create entirely new imagery and meaning. Fragments of visual material, hand-cut and arranged by the artist in sequentially spaced layers, coalesce into new forms that exemplify the multiplicity and serendipity of the medium. Monolith/Relic will be open to the public from May 27th to June 19th, 2022, with an opening reception on Friday, May 27th, from 5:30 - 8:00 PM. 

Despite the range of historical sources evident in the artist’s works, their surreality taps into a greater contemporary conversation. In times of profound uncertainty – from the aftermath of World War I to the present moment of a pandemic, environmental catastrophe, and humanitarian crises – such destabilization of reality and control often give rise to parallel modes of artistic production. Grotesque, mystical, and morbid imagery, in this context, may feel more acutely reflective of reality than mimetic representations. In Eckman-Lawn’s practice, the horrors of existence give way to an otherworldly dreamscape of bodily distortions and architectural impossibilities. The artist constructs a vision of the psyche that is both familiar and disorienting, allowing viewers to place the work in dialogue with their own subconscious drives and conscious memories.  

Eckman-Lawn’s layers upon layers of additive and reductive collage open anachronistic portals to his own artistic imagination - a built environment that bears an uncanny resemblance to the world we inhabit today.

 
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, May 27, 2022
5:30 - 8:00 PM
RSVP

EXHIBITION HOURS
Saturdays • 11:00am – 6:00pm
Sundays • 11:00am - 5:00pm
And 7 days a week by appointment.

LOCATION
Paradigm Gallery + Studio
746 S. 4th Street, 1st Floor / Philadelphia, PA 19147
info@paradigm-gallery.com / (267)266-0073

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @ParadigmGS
Twitter: @ParadigmGS
Facebook: facebook.com/paradigmgallery

Please contact info@paradigm-gallery.com if you are interested in receiving the digital collector preview when it is available for this exhibition. You may also submit your request HERE. 

About Alex Eckman-Lawn
Alex Eckman-Lawn is a Philadelphia-born illustrator who creates multi-layered, hand-cut, paper collages using everything from his original digital paintings to imagery from old medical texts. Each layer is spaced, creating a depth that draws you into the works. His work has appeared in comic books, on album covers, book covers, T-shirts, music videos, and posters. His cut paper works have most recently been on display at SCOPE Miami Beach, Art on Paper NY, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Arch Enemy Arts, Art Dept., Gallery 1988, Crane Arts Ice Box, Bottleneck Gallery, and more. Eckman-Lawn received his BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in 2007.

About Paradigm Gallery 
Paradigm Gallery + Studio® was established in 2010 by co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston. The gallery exhibits meaningful, process-intense contemporary artwork from around the world. Paradigm Gallery is globally recognized and known as a tastemaker within their greater Philadelphia arts community. As the gallery grows, it maintains its original mission to keep art accessible. Through monthly donations, free public art installations, and initiatives like Insider Picks, Paradigm Gallery, continues to be a champion of small businesses and emerging and mid-career artists. 

Media Contact:
Lainya Magaña, A&O PR
347 395 4155
lainya@aopublic.com