Anatomy of the Human Experience: The Painting of Ken Currie

Ken Currie, The Crossing II (Famine Horse), 2024. Oil on canvas, 214 x 305 cm. 84 1/4 x 120 1/8 in. ©Antonio Parente, courtesy of Flowers Gallery

By MANUELA ANNAMARIA ACCINNO December 24, 2024

‘Man is a recent invention of our knowledge, destined to disappear ‘like a face of sand on the brink of the sea’,’ writes Michel Foucault in The Words and Things. In our contemporary society, characterized by unprecedented complexity, the sea emerges as a symbol of the human condition, a place of exploration and revelation, but also of bewilderment. Foucault, in his examination of the history of knowledge, invites us to consider how our conception of man is a social and cultural construction. Modern epistemology has restructured our view of subjectivity, relegating man to a concept driven by social, political and economic dynamics. In this sense, contemporary man becomes a reflection of the forces around him, a creature shaped by knowledge and institutions. However, like that face of sand, man is destined for continuous metamorphosis, at the mercy of the currents of time and history. The sea, with its vastness, then becomes a metaphor for this condition. It is both creator and destroyer, similar to our own existence. Today we observe it not only as a natural resource, but also as an ecosystem that challenges our understanding, where every action can lead to unforeseen consequences. The ecological crises afflicting the oceans are a clear warning: we are part of an interconnected system, where our existence is intrinsically linked to that of the environment. In an era of globalization, the sea also represents a border and a bridge. Maritime routes are routes of trade and cultural exchange, but they are also routes of migration and escape. The image of the migrant crossing the sea in search of a better future raises questions about our humanity. Who is man in this context? A being in search of identity and belonging, whose existence is severely tested by political crises and economic uncertainties. The stories of those who attempt to cross the sea to reach a promised land tell of dreams and hopes, but also of pain and loss. These narratives force us to confront our responsibilities and privileges, prompting us to reconsider what it means to ‘be human’ in a world where barriers are as physical as they are symbolic.

Ken Currie, The Lantern, 2024. Oil on canvas, 153 x 122 cm. 60 1/4 x 48 in. ©Antonio Parente, courtesy of Flowers Gallery

Ken Currie, an internationally renowned Scottish painter, is an artist whose work addresses existential and ontological questions with a unique sophistication. His painting style, characterized by an intense palette and highly expressive figures, manages to capture the essence of complex human experiences, raising questions about mortality, identity and the social context in which the individual finds himself living. Currie explores identity in a context that is anything but static; he uses the human figure as an entry point to examine the fragmentation of contemporary existence. Her works invoke a tension between the individual and the external forces that influence their lives, from social and cultural contexts to the actual conditions of mortality. In this perspective, the representation of debilitated bodies or bodies in transition becomes a symbol of the intrinsic vulnerability that characterizes every human being.

Currie's figures, often in a state of agony or transformation, reflect this instability; they embody a humanity whose body and mind are constantly under pressure, a humanity that, as Foucault would say, is ‘destined to disappear’. Mortality is another recurring theme in the artist's work. His canvases manage to encapsulate the inevitability of death and the search for meaning in it. In this context, Foucault's quotation resonates deeply: the notion of humanity as a recent invention implies that our thinking about life and death is also subject to severance and traversal. Death, which the painter depicts in stark and sometimes disturbing tones, becomes not only an epilogue, but also an opportunity to reflect on life itself and the value of the human experience; not merely portraying the moment of death, but investigating the process that leads to it. The artist manages to weave a powerful and profound visual narrative that not only depicts individual experiences, but also takes the viewer to a broader understanding of humanity. His works can be likened to an anatomy of the human experience, exploring how each of us is both the origin of a narrative and the product of a multiplicity of contexts.

Ken Currie, The Crossing III, 2024. Oil on canvas, 214 x 305 cm. 84 1/4 x 120 1/8 in. ©Antonio Parente, courtesy of Flowers Gallery

The works, presented in the solo exhibition ‘The Crossing’ at London's Flower Gallery, take viewers to an enigmatic archipelago, characterized by desolate, rugged islands and imposing stacks. The landscapes are reminiscent of the remote Outer Hebrides, where towers of eroded rock rise from a deep, dark sea, whose foaming waves crash against the rock formations. In this desolate and unforgiving setting, an unidentified community lives, in precarious conditions and without shelter. Trapped or perhaps in an eternal state of waiting, these individuals move on a fragile balance. The artist has accompanied this series of works with a text:

‘People of the Sea.

People on the Edge.

People at Extremes.

Contested Land.

Crossing the Sea.

Eviction. Evasion. Evacuation.

Displacement. Dispossession. Destitution.’

In these words, resounds the warning of the precariousness of existence. Man, understood in his essence, is a fragile construct, constantly challenged, subject to corrosion by his surroundings, like waves slowly eroding the sand. Currie's art becomes a vehicle for this uncomfortable truth, an experience that smacks of quicksand, where destinies intertwine and blur. Every brushstroke, every figure portrayed is a collective memory. WM