Joining us for his second RUN, we welcome back Australian artist Mysterious Al, as he returns with Blue Mask, available in an extremely limited standard edition, as well as 15 individually unique hand-painted multiples. With each one uniquely done by Mysterious Al no two are alike. Read on as Mysterious Al gives us the story behind his latest edition and much more . . .
1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about this piece, anything immediate you would like us to highlight about this image?
Mysterious Al:
This print is based off a painting I did in London last year. It’s one of my favourite pieces, so it’s great to immortalize it in print form!
1x: Was this image part of a recent theme, series or show that you had? If so how did it fit into that given grouping?
Mysterious Al: All my paintings are based on ancient tribal masks. I like to use the simplest shapes possible to achieve the most amount of emotion or character I can. At first my paintings can appear confronting, but look closer and you’ll see some anxiousness and vulnerability in there.
1x: When was this piece created and what materials were used?
Mysterious Al: Paint on a wall
. August of 2017.
1x: How long did this image take to create from start to finish?
Mysterious Al: I painted it in a full day but the original collage took longer than that. Although my work is fast and full of energy, it actually references a long history of colour and shape.
1x: What have you been up to over the last few months? Bring us up to speed on how things have been going recently for you…
Mysterious Al: I just finished a room in a huge exhibition under an old grain Silo in Melbourne, Australia. It was the first chance I had to experiment with installation-based work and I loved it. There’s definitely more to come. Since then it’s working through a backlog of commissions before starting some new stuff.
1x: What are some of the ways you have been trying to push yourself with your work over the last year?
Mysterious Al: I’ve been pushing so hard in the last couple of years. I’ve been making art in different ways my whole life but I really feel momentum in this ‘new’ body of work. People are slowly starting to take notice so I hope I can use this newfound energy to keep pushing myself and making fun, interesting work.
1xRUN: Where else can people find you?
Mysterious Al: Website – Instagram @mysteriousal