Kevin Harman’s inaugural exhibition at Ingleby Gallery presents a new sculpture, Forever, alongside a series of 1 Pixel Portraits.
Harman’s new series, 1 Pixel Portraits, are printed blocks of pure, flat colour which record the compressed data taken from found images of portraits. Chosen solely for the quality of their overall colour, tone and hue, they originate from a variety of sources ranging from family photographs to digital archives from museum collections, these portraits question the nature of artistic and digital representation and reproduction.
Forever takes centre stage of the show; a double-sided mirror framed in hand-carved oak and suspended from the ceiling of Gallery II. A small, single padlock seemingly holds the mirrors together whilst simultaneously locking itself into its own reflection. The viewer, the gallery space (including the 1 Pixel Portraits) and the street outside are part of the never-ending cycle of reflection, becoming unavoidably present in the artwork.
Harman, who is perhaps best known for his Skip projects (the most recent, Skip 13, realised for Frieze London 2012) graduated with an MFA in Sculpture from Edinburgh College of Art 2010. His project 24/7, was commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival 2012.
