Warren King
Warren King’s gushing portraits with their moody uncanny appearance, captivate and express King’s state of mind. His striking pictorial practice is influenced by several facets: Belfast during the troubles, where he spent his childhood years, his fondness for horror movies and the transformation a person undergoes, not only through gradual aging but also from physical and mental suffering.
These raw, unsettling, abstracted human heads seem uncontrolled, imperfect, not static, but shifting and in flux. Their characteristic features are emphasised through King’s use of colour. An opulent grandeur of deep blue and teal tones with jewel-like flashes of orange, red and yellow present a world of dualism and contraction, which mesmerize our imagination. Some of the facial expressions exude disturbing and dark emotions, seeking to elicit responses of fear and suspense, whereas other contortions convey enthusiasm and joy. There seems to be no doubt that King’s bursting personage passed through his inner filter, presenting his mood and self-perception, focusing on human representation as a timeless instrument for storytelling.
