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Artworks
Juan Ford
Persistence, 2024
oil on board
25.5 x 21 cm, 28.5 x 23.5 cm (framed)
Courtesy of Michael Reid Gallery and This is no Fantasy
Further images
It might seem strange to hear this, but I’ve long identified with weeds. Allow me to explain… weeds are persistent above all else, will thrive under harsh conditions , will...
It might seem strange to hear this, but I’ve long identified with weeds. Allow me to explain… weeds are persistent above all else, will thrive under harsh conditions , will return after they’ve been cut back, and are an indomitable expression of the force of life on our planet.
I probably shouldn’t have ended up an artist; I’m from the wrong side of the tracks, have practical abilities in other fields, and trained initially as an engineer. Yet art found me, bursting forth in spite of my plans . Art world gatekeeper types have attempted to usher me out many times, and yet I find ways around them. This is because what I have to say needs to be said, and expressed in a style that defies the imperatives of most contemporary art. I don’t care, I just keep making work and ensuring it’s shown . I’m a weed of an artist , and no round up merchant is gonna kill me off.
Nature is everywhere, all around us, in us and through us. We can’t really control it; all attempts to do so are temporary at best . A weed growing through a crack in concrete expresses all the above notions perfectly.