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Alive with rhythm and movement, Christopher Huff’s saturated and vibrant works are characterised by twisting and swaying tendrils of sickle cells. Draping hypercoloured brick walls, archways and prison bars that frame these compositions, the tendrils reflect the struggle between structure and fluidity. Huff immerses the viewer into a universe that serves as the perfect reflection of a life with Sickle Cell Anaemia and the constant battle between balance and chaos.
In Huff's practice the brick wall serves “as an abstract representation of the human body. It embodies the stability one must have in order to maintain repetition, a necessary component in an individual’s ability to progress through life”. The sickle cell, causing cracks and fractures in these brick structures, represents the long term side effects and damage that the body endures when fighting an illness. In these works the artist brings to the forefront abstract realms of uncertainty, desire, faith, perseverance and fragility. He observes, “how traumatic pain, moments of loneliness and desire for better days has shaped me not only as an African American male living with a blood disorder but as an artist as well”.
Having received training in classical art, Huff turned to street art to challenge his creativity. Experimenting with graffiti and pop culture, such as cartoons and anime, allowed him to develop a keen sense of appreciation for the emotional power that stems from the interplay between colour and shape. Stylistically referencing the graphic quality of 90’s anime like 'Cowboy Bebop' and two-dimensional video games such as 'Marvel vs Capcom', Huff developed a familiar cartoon-junkyard aesthetic. Akin to Kenny Scharf and Chris Ofili, Huff paints in a flat perspective, with bold and illustrative lines.
Though the paintings seem visually flattened, they are dense with six layers of gesso followed by multiple layers of acrylic paint, applied either with precise brushstrokes or with the gentle touch of an aerosol spray. Working in a mostly intuitive fashion, the artist implements the use of a masking tape and white charcoal pencil to outline his compositions, relying on his preliminary sketches. Once the last layer of paint is applied and tape is removed, Huff proceeds to introduce more detailed shapes and forms that begin to resemble recognizable elements. The result is kaleidoscopic patterns, well crafted layers of medium and vivid chromatic variegations that demand contemplation. -
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