Alexander Webber

My practice is founded upon producing, organising, and stimulating collaborative authorship. Through these three interconnected methods my work refers to positive constraints and structured play as a form of mutual pedagogy, and group formation as an active means of democracy. I believe in my ability as an artist to be that of an all-round instigator, using my practice to draw together the inherently social, discursive and didactic qualities of autonomous artworks into structured moments and events. Through these connections I question the role of the contemporary artist and that of the artistic solution. Throughout my work, there is a tension between the significance of physical objects and their operation as anchors in the event(s) unfolding around them.

Upon completing my education, I immediately situated my practice in the daily routine of an artist initiative by founding Hgtomi Rosa that still informs my practice. I see this group as a scale model of a wider society. I am fascinated how various different art-groups drift between varying forms of democracy and autocracy. My participation in the collective activities of artist initiatives (additionally Billytown since September 2022) contributes to developing a new understanding of the potential for the multi-faceted role of artists. I value the cross contamination that occurs when individual practices are brought together, collective working serves as a reminder that as artists we are always one amongst many. The idea of ‘Working groups’ constitute my studio practice and research. From which collaborative events often develop, wherein the participation from the groups, and the autonomous works become the vehicles for communicating to the audience. I once made a wooden window under instruction of my fictitious wood workshop teacher, and my insect hotels were trapped in the infertile show room of the gallery space. In more sculptural works my drawings have shared growing bags with dark potatoes, and I discovered that no one wanted to buy my home made bath bombs because most people only have showers in The Netherlands. Most recently I have been busy organising a summer camp. A summer camp that doesn’t have a set moment or singular intention to take place, and actually may never actually happen at all.