The Long Horizon

Currently we are living in the most luxurious time in history. Advancements in medicine, technology and industry have effectively given us more time.
Historically we have always had bigger issues and less time to concern ourselves with trivia. This in part determined the direction for this collection of works.

Colonise
verb
send settlers to (a place) and establish political control over it
• settle among and establish control over (the indigenous people of an area)
• appropriate (a place or domain) for one's own use

To understand each work, consider the meaning of colonisation first. We need to look past that first emotion of what it means to us, in order to see it as an on-going process.

The Long Horizon works are relevant to everyone’s shores.

Conceptual artist John Shewry recycles second-hand paraphernalia to create imagery that carries strong messages about racial discrimination, colonialism, the education system, our ever-increasing culture of consumerism and waste, global war, and personal heartbreak.
Mother boards, cake tins, plastic children's toys, old ceramics, knickknacks and road signs, objects that were created to have a purpose and be noticed for a brief time and were later discarded as unwanted trash, are repurposed to add layers of meaning to Shewry's visual commentary. He likes his art to stop and make you think, the title and the objects trigger different meanings.

John says of his work:

'As I age, I find more reverence in researching the concept, trying to ensure my message has a clear conscience. I want conversation both inside and outside the work, a piece that creates interest on a deeper level.
Art gifts me the opportunity to explore my character physically and mentally. It is my platform to voice a personal protest. I try to associate the viewer through these measures hoping to bring us all to the same place, or at least a start point.'

To view the collection click here