John Sproul United States

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John Sproul works with the figure to explore human identity and experience. It is the way he explores and gains understanding of the world and himself.

In my work, I walk through who we are, what we do and why. I address fear and love (the main forces at work in us). Existing together in opposition, they are the paradox of our existence. I talk about body image, loneliness, ego, exclusion, self-doubt, and all that comes from the fear of not being enough, of not being loveable. I discuss the power of connection, resilience, honesty, generosity, and all that comes with the need to love. I bring these together to ask the questions that can lead to an acceptance of our paradoxical selves.

Working between the subconscious and conscious state I explore primal narratives and the paradox of being human. Letting the body and quiet parts lead me back and forth, I attempt to inch more into living. I look to questions that lead me into otherness. In the normal I see the abnormal, in the abnormal I see what is normal and somewhere in that comes acceptance. I use the power of the mark, from primal gesture to architectural alignment, to orchestrate embodiment. Color is used, (from subtle earthiness to dramatic darkness to fantastical brilliance), to codify the experience of otherness and place. From these come the body, which leads us into the questions that, hopefully, lead us away from fear into love.