Stephen Sewell
Portraiture
Stephen Sewell
I have a hard time imagining perfection. In fact, it just plain scares me. Perfection, for me, implies a finality. The fact that I can not give a concrete example of perfection further complicates matters. Since it would appear as though I am unable to come up with an example of perfection it begs the question: would I even recognize it if I saw it? However, I can give examples of imperfection, and perhaps in comparison those examples tell me more about perfection than what is typically considered "perfect".
The works I have made are explorations of productivity, beauty, and success in terms of unproductivity, mediocrity, and failure. Through opposition the work questions the validity of the former terms and considers their role in formulating assumptions and expectations. What is left is works that consider ideals in terms of fragments and measures success in terms of situational framing.
Stephen Sewell, A collaboration I did (not) do. John Baldessari. 2011. Ink, Graphite on Paper.
Stephen Sewell, Growing a beard. 2011. Pigment liner on Archival Inkjet Print.
Stephen Sewell, Growing a beard. (detail).
Stephen Sewell, Attempting to pull a rug out from under myself. 2011. HD Video. 5:24 minutes.
Stephen Sewell, Chewing bubble gum. 2011. HD Video. 2:00 minute excerpt of 19:23 minutes.