University: Central Saint Martins
Graduation Year: 2023
Informed by Affect Theory and the ties between society, politics and the body, Daniel Talbot-Mason's work is an affirming cry of living, pushing the boundaries of self portraiture - what it can look like and what it can do. Daniel's technical dexterity is startling, working across a broad range of mediums including metal, fabric, and laser cut engraved acrylic. These disparate pieces share bold, limited contrasting colour palettes and confident silhouettes. The large scale sculptural 'Transformation' is indisputably there, its presence strong and looming. The double-helix structure interspersed with clay faces can be seen as the ultimate self-portrait, as interest in genetics and DNA profiling grows, plumbing the depth of selfhood to the very core whilst necessarily linking the self to the shared parental contribution to DNA. The reaching hands in 'Constructs' invites comparisons with contemporary South Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa's installations using everyday objects such as washing up gloves, as the soft contours of the digits contrast with the smooth, unforgiving metal poles. Both 'Pieced Back Together Again' and 'Bird Shit On Your Shoulder' are both rendered with a laser cutter, producing a unique quality of colour and line, at once soft and bold. Daniel is a 2023 Central Saint Martins Graduate, and a New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize nominee.
Throughout my practice the thread which connects all the works I have made is a sense of the autobiographical or the "self portrait". I work with intuition to produce the work, I always have a rough plan in mind but the actual realisation or understanding of how the work is operating or what the work is about is apparent through reflecting on the work. Mortality and the ephemerality of life have become important considerations for my work, having seen my dad die when I was six years old, subconsciously I carry a sense of anxiety about how fleeting life can be and that any moment one could die, in a way I am producing my work as a series of actions which are almost meaningless but they are also a physical gesture which captures my life, my living, the fact that I am alive, it is very performative. Over time the work has begun to be more political, with considering the body politic/s. Through making the work, my practice has begun to build momentum and a visual language which explores questions around the body. Affect Theory is important for me to consider. As my work talks about the non-linguistic affects which society has on the body, which can be a universal understanding.
(2023) Saatchi Gallery- STArt Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd,