Fearless - An Exhibition by Alan Birch

Date published: 07/10/2004

We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded by messages. Whether these come at us from the printed page, the television screen or the letterbox, the message is 'Beware!'

We eat too much, we drink too much, we eat the wrong things, we should watch our neighbours, we are under surveillance from CCTV, we see disasters around the world, we watch soap characters live out disastrous lives, we are told constantly how terrible the future world will be. The most recent work in this exhibition takes this fear as a primary theme.

Other, earlier work deals with contemporary mythologies, delving into the world of media and celebrity. Sculptures, drawings and prints focus on the role of images, symbols and myths which have been recycled and transformed by the media and advertising. These new mythologies focus on celebrity, image, power, fear and commercialism.

All the work in this exhibition has resulted from Alan's personal reactions to images and witnessed events. Humour is a crucial element in his work, and his use of parody and irony allows him to question and give new meanings to familiar icons and images.

The Exhibition runs through from Saturday 23 October to Sunday 5 December, at Touchstones, Rochdale.