In it (Portrait of Elvis Presley)
38.3 x 36.3cm From the ‘Plaster’ series (2011-2015)ART DESCRIPTION
This small portrait of Elvis Presley is from the ‘Plaster’ series of 2011-2015, a progression from his earlier work in portraiture. In this series, Barry uses an adhesive plaster as a miniature canvas, producing these small and exquisite portraits. Kamen loved Elvis and admired his voice, the way he moved and his unique and fearless style. Music has always played a central role in Kamen’s work as he always had music playing in his studio as he worked.
The plaster motif is very important to Kamen’s work and appears in many forms over time. Initially, the plaster is painted onto the surface using acrylic, becoming a kind of visual signature (rather like the crown in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work). In 2011 Kamen has a ‘joyful realisation’ that the adhesive plaster itself is a mini canvas. He then begins to paint and draw onto the plasters themselves, creating these miniature paintings. A kaleidoscope of human history and existential wanderings, the motifs vary from historical and political figures, to mushroom cloud formations, to the packaging of an Amazon parcel draped liked a Papal robe. Not only the incredible draftsmanship of these miniature paintings, but Kamen’s ability to find the timeless that exists between the historical and the contemporary, and pull it all into the present, makes this series extraordinary.
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