Steve Gorrow
* Autonomy in the Now

written Nikkolos Mohammed

The linking of lack of control and the abstract. Some have defined abstraction as closer to the truth in a world of constant unknown, yet some may say that abstraction is a passive gesture. In the journey of creation, the autonomy is in the process and not the result.

By using different materials, artists are battling with the truth, uniqueness, and depth of the relevance in today’s time as a marker of life for the future. Steve Gorrow is an artist that finds autonomy in the now — the now of the subjects and the now of the gestures of the materials.

BECAUSE OF YOUR USE OF MULTIPLE MEDIUMS, IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR OWN WORLD. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THAT WORLD?
I can try, I love art, and I love mixing mediums and inspirations to try create something new, and i can easily get lost in it and the thought of it, to the point that i have no idea of what i am doing or what i am building till later when i step back from it all and see it as a whole, and then the style and message becomes more clear, and from that there may be a few pieces that stand out and i will build on them and continue to experiment with them.These days i am experimenting with less and less control over my art and the meaning, it's more in the abstract. So my world is filled with alot of patterns, typography, photography, textures and ways I can merge them and make them in the real world using multiple mediums.


ELEMENTS OF YOUR ART PRACTICE CAN CONVEY AESTHETICS OF REBELLION. CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THAT CONCEPT AND HOW YOU IMAGINE THE VIEWER TO INTERACT WITH THAT CONCEPT?
I think I am mainly driven by a sense of reason and a love for the unknown. I believe that there is so much more to this life, so much that we cant see and know. So i think that forms an alternative base in me that you may see as rebellion but for me it's more a sense of wonder and curiosity of life on this planet, and the universe. I think when you try to look at things with a universal eye you get a better picture, one that is always more interesting and inspiring, then say the 9-5 grind, political agendas and dogma.


A LARGE AMOUNT OF YOUR PRACTICE HAS A COLLAGE SENSIBILITY. WHAT LEAD YOU TO WORK IN THIS MATTER RELATIVE TO YOUR IDEAS?
I love collage work i like that i don't have total control i like that things happen along the way that you don't have to plan or map it out, i like that feeling of collage where things just fit together and they happen as your doing it, so you don't really know what your gonna get till the very end and in some way your thoughts and feelings and patience are guiding it too so i love that process and i love just being in that state of letting things flow rather than a fixed image, i am more drawn to the abstract.


DOES YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY INSTIGATE THE PROCESS IN WHAT YOU MAKE IN YOUR ART CAREER? DO THE CURRENT TIMES IN THE WORLD INFLUENCE YOUR PRACTICE?
Yes my life shapes my art and is my art, in many ways from the initial thoughts and dreams, to what I am drawn to, what inspires me and the time I get to spend on actually making my art, managing my time between work and family is all part of it.
And yes the current times definitely affect me, majorly, I don't think anyone has seen the world this crazy in a long time, there is so much change happening and so many things don't make sense. My hope is that all this change shifts things into a more peaceful world, but i would be lying if I didn't say that my suspicions think we are heading into wars, i really hope i am wrong and that i have just gone down to many rabbit holes.
On the flip side of this the isolating and lockdowns has had a positive effect for me. It's given me way more time to focus on and experiment with my art and not worry about the end goal of just enjoying making art and making as much as I can through these crazy times.

.artist talk
Steve Gorrow
speaks with
Nikkolos Mohammed
first published in:
issue 30, 01/2021

MANY OF YOUR WORKS HAS A PROTEST FEELING WITH A CALL TO ACTION?
IS THERE AN IDEAL WAY YOU CAN SEE YOUR ART CHARGING THE AUDIENCE TO ACT IN SOME WAY?
Yes some of my more commercial work has that approach, anti propaganda, its my take and shot at social commentary, my genuine frustration on the absurdity of somethings in this world, and adding my bit to the melting pot of life. Whenever I get the chance I try to slip in a positive message in the same way you have a conversation with your mates at the bar over a few beers, not taking it too seriously. The thing I hope to get back from it is just to make the audience think and hopefully they can relate to the underlying message which is always more peace, more love and getting back to nature and enjoying the ride.

Art is the beacon of a conversation between the discovery of truth from an artists’ perspective to the realities of the audience. During that conversation, some try to have fun, some want to be liked, some make jokes, some are brutally honest. Steve Gorrow’s conversations are a mixture of dialogues that all communicate where he is now.

credit header image

Steve Gorrow
Holiday Inn II
Installation
photocollage print