The Institute of Mental Health welcomed an emerging new East Midlands artist to exhibit their work from 25th March to 17th May 2019.

Sk172 is a Cambridgeshire-based artist who paints using acrylic on diverse and often found surfaces.

From canvas, wood, canvas board and cardboard, to upcycled vinyl, delivery envelopes and even metal (once he painted on a large wooden table top, which unfortunately can’t be displayed here as it’s too large to get out of his flat). As well as using acrylic paint, he also uses Sharpie pens and pencil to add a rough layer to the paint, much like the technique used by American artist and painter Cy Twombly, which he really admires.

Sk172 has been fighting a battle with mental health for nearly two decades which has increased his proliferation of drawings, scrawls, and paintings. Sk172’s work is inspired by the child-like, naïve and figurative approach to painting used by artists such as Jean Dubuffet and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

He tries to paint as much as he can, and says:

“It is a therapeutic way of confronting my inner demons which have been plaguing me since my diagnosis of schizophrenia, epilepsy, and acute OCD. Sometimes I paint what many people may think are crazy, heretic, scary faces or masks, however I am very much influenced by African art and the masks are a recurring subject in my work.”

On the importance of support and diagnosis during mental health recovery he says:

“I have come from a very dark place in the past and nearly took my own life before being diagnosed and admitted onto a psychiatric ward in the year 2000. I have been in and out until my last admission in 2009. Over the years I've met some of the kindest, friendliest people in the world linked through mental health.

“My girlfriend Kate has supported me through thick and thin and we both understand each other as we are both diagnosed with mental health problems. We have been together nearly eight years and she supports me whichever way I am going. Although she sometimes doesn't get my artwork, she's always by my side and supports my every artistic endeavour.

“As I live day by day, I rely heavily on anti-psychotic medication to keep me level-headed, although I do still have the occasional blip or wobble, paranoid episode or hallucination. Over the years I have tried many different types of medication but now I feel that I have just the right dose and combination of meds which lead me to live a relatively normal life.”

The main subject in his paintings is the alienation of society through technology and the internet. Masks, headphones and a computer mouse cursor are recurring elements in his work, these objects are often used to isolate oneself from reality. Some of the words and elements that appear in the paintings, such as “CT Brain Scan” and the grids drawn in to the brain, are an attempt to show how we are all connected by technology, and our dependence on it in everyday life.

The selection of paintings you can see here are a glimpse into Sk172’s broad interest in art, pop culture, music, and science fiction. He sympathises with Philip K. Dick’s vision of the future, with his favourite novel being Ubik, and the 1982 film Blade Runner which was based on a novel by the same author titled Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? He often paints to a background of ambient music, jazz and hip-hop, the amalgamation of these musical styles comes through strongly in his work.

The exhibition ran from 25^th March – 17^th May 2019