Phil Young
Bristol-based Phil Young makes objects and sculptures out of various materials, most notably wood, metal and rubber. Making a conscious decision to create unique objects that require a high level of craft, his work explores the tactile nature of these materials and our innate associations with them.
“For millennia, humans have utilized and fetishized the raw materials in our environment. We have made practical use of them as fuel or tools, and in more esoteric ways such as ceremonial icons, commercial products or modern art. Over time this relationship has become instinctive to the point that wood holds strong symbolic associations, such as nature or usefulness. And yet recently, this relationship has become more tenuous as the materials we used to rely on can appear only distantly related to their natural origins.”
Within this context, Phil chooses to craft his work to be unique in order to place it apart from the easily mass-reproduced objects of commercial and even artistic culture. The artisan skills he utilizes play with our instinctive relationship with the raw materials we often take for granted. The eye is tricked into believing they have properties that we know they should not have, such as wood that appears to be rubbery or fleshy. On all levels, Phil’s work attempts to dislodge our assumptions of what these most basic of materials are and mean to us, leaving us to question everything, from their place in contemporary culture through to the very tactility of their nature.
Exhibitions
In the Press
More Information
Email us (art(at)itsall2much(dot)com) if you’d like to know more about Phil Young.