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Dear Friends, About a year ago, we discovered some photos posted on Instagram by Australian conceptual artist, Alan Blackwell. In a bid to raise his profile, Blackwell had begun posting one sketch of his robots each day… and the strategy worked: it was one of these images that intrigued us. |
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While still at school, Blackwell's passion for science fiction coupled with his highly creative imagination and talent for drawing led him to sketch on whatever he could find, which was mostly notebooks and school books that were transformed into phantasmagorical training grounds for his unique style of graffiti. “Whenever I would get a fresh textbook for another class, I would draw a cool car on the front page,” says Blackwell. “But I think from all that early experience I never really considered the option or possibility of taking a career in art seriously. No one was there to encourage and push me forward.” 
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It wasn't all smooth sailing for Blackwell's career as a conceptual artist, though; he certainly had a talent for sketching, but in the pre-internet age his only learning tools were library books on how to draw quaint houses, which were of limited usefulness for designing spaceships and robots! Blackwell's perseverance eventually paid off as his often-playful sketches testify. For the opening of his exhibition at the M.A.D.Gallery, Blackwell traveled all the way from his home in Australia. While we were expecting a good reception to Blackwell's detailed renderings, the smiles on the faces of the multitude of M.A.D.Gallery guests viewing the sketches were heartwarming. 
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And once you see Blackwell's art for yourself, you will know why. Blackwell’s robots have a laid-back feel, not as austere and overbearing as many of their cinematic contemporaries. They seem friendly, as if you could take one out for a drink; and, most importantly, they wouldn’t shoot your head off for not picking up the tab. Through Blackwell’s art, I could see our guests envisioning themselves as children playing with figurines just as we were when we first viewed his work. We hope you will come share in the Blackwell experience and take a dip back into a time when we were young, wild, and free. 
Alan Blackwell’s original 33 pen/pencil sketches on paper are available at the M.A.D.Gallery in three sizes: 42x52, 32x42 and 23x32 cm (all the pictures are framed – Pine 100% FSC). If you are in or around Geneva, please don't hesitate to drop in to see Blackwell's sketches with your own eyes. And if Switzerland is not part of your travel plans, you can keep in touch via our Facebook and Instagram pages (@mbfmadgallery).
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