Unpredictable Magic

Alex Soskin’s first solo exhibition brings together a dynamic series of works on paper and wood that emerged after years working as a film and television editor in Los Angeles. In this series of paintings, Soskin weaves together intriguing and fantastical narratives, often depicting wild, extravagant, sometimes disturbing creatures and scenes that can reflect on the more nefarious aspects of Western culture.

The power in these paintings lies in the subtle, ingenious ways in which Soskin blends the absurd and strange with the everyday. Capturing characters seen in the street, glimpsed once through a doorway, or repeatedly on a commute, Soskin responds, through paint, to the world around him. Embellished in costumes, transfigured into mythological creatures or deities, or simply reimagined in another world, figures become emblematic of a subtext which is suggested through letters, glyphs and symbols used in repeating patterns. These works become not only about looking, but an exercise in discovering what we choose not to see and why.

To create his works Soskin begins with drawing, outlining forms in pencil which are then carefully infilled with gouache paint in vibrant colours. Once the picture plane is complete, Soskin pours ink over the entire work, which he then rapidly washes off with water. Running off all the painted areas, deep areas of colour remain where the pencil lines were. This process elegantly mirrors the narrative; by subjecting each work to a moment of potential catastrophe, what emerges is an image that correlates with the strange beauty and unpredictable magic of everyday life.

Alex Soskin, born 1974, London, completed a foundation course at Camberwell Art College before moving to Los Angeles to follow a successful career as a film and television editor. He rediscovered his love of painting before the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and has since continued to paint between various editing jobs.

A private viewing will take place Thursday 19 October from 6 pm - 9 pm. For further information or visual material, please visit alexsoskin.com, call 07470 110608 or email alexandersoskin@aol.com.