Hew Elcock

Artist statement:

All the arts allow the participant, viewer, or listener to experience being alive in the world, in that moment. Art, whatever the form, offers a moment of immediate experience for no other purpose than experiencing. Being in the artistic experience may or may not give rise to other thoughts for later reflection, but that is not its primary purpose. Some artists may choose to have art convey an opinion or carry a specific message, but as there is no common grammar or syntax in art, what the viewer understands may be quite different. Art is more like play, which always has meaning even if that meaning is obscure. By emphasizing social, moral, or political goals as our dominant ways of interacting with the world, we risk losing the sensual experience of being alive. Visual art implies being open to sensory experiences - to the patterns, textures, colours, and material qualities of the world we live in.