Alison Blickle

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA

Artist statement

My recent paintings are set in a dystopian future where nature no longer exists the way it does now. People still have a longing to experience a connection with the natural world- with something larger than themselves- but the only way they can is as an avatar in a type of virtual reality. The figures in the paintings are these avatars, idealized along with the landscapes to the point of looking artificial, slightly grotesque or uncanny. The scenes are radiant, staged, and intentionally almost too beautiful. The figures in these works have a sense of quiet, contemplation, and isolation, even when they are not alone. Some appear to be having a true moment of transcendance, evoking classical paintings of female saints in ecstasy. Others appear blank and expressionless, while some appear to be sad, as if the experience did not give them the feeling they were longing for. Perhaps a digital approximation cannot provide a genuine emotional experience. Through this exploration, the work touches on deeper themes of longing- for connection, for belonging- and reflects on how elusive authentic connection has become in the modern world. The figures in this body of work are an amalgam of disparate body parts from various sources. They're almost like Franken-people, where none of them are an image of a single person. The heads, limbs, and clothes are cobbled together from a variety of sources. The same is true of the environments that they're in. I've been interested in AI for years...

Artwork