Santa by BW
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Silkscreen print on art paper
Dimensions: 42 x 59.4 cm
Edition production year: 2023
Edition of 100
Price: $500.00 USD
Status: available
"Santa" was born from a juxtaposition of innocence and reality, a reflection on how we perceive the world around us. The image of Santa, a symbol of joy and generosity, is reimagined here in a context that challenges our assumptions and provokes thought. As I created this piece, I wanted to explore the tension between tradition and modernity, asking viewers to consider the complexity of the figures we hold dear. The stark contrast of black and white against the textured red bricks draws you into a narrative that is both familiar and unsettling. Each silkscreen print is carefully crafted, emphasizing the individuality of every piece, much like the unique experiences and emotions each viewer brings to it. The deliberate use of red adds a layer of urgency and intensity, hinting at the deeper stories behind the facade. I hope "Santa" encourages you to question and reflect, to see beyond the surface and explore the narratives that lie beneath. May it inspire patience and introspection, inviting you to engage with the world in a new, perhaps unexpected way.
Why collect this work?
Santa pairs a festive title with an armed, crouching figure above fragmented masonry. That mismatch makes the title an unsettling frame for an otherwise unspecified scene of conflict.
- BW states that his practice examines political friction and displacement through stencil imagery. In this print, broad visual cues suggest conflict, but no uniform, location or specific event is identified.
- In the photograph, the figure’s dense black silhouette occupies the upper half of the sheet, while an irregular brick structure tapers beneath his boots. Red impressions cluster among the upper bricks, directing attention to the precarious point where body and barrier meet.
- Catalogued as silkscreen on art paper, the print uses a restricted black, red and white scheme to separate figure, masonry and open ground. Broken contours and patchy impressions visually echo worn stencil graphics, without establishing the sheet’s physical texture.
- Dated 2023, the work provides a focused case study in how a familiar cultural name can alter the reading of anonymous conflict imagery, making interpretation depend as much on language as depiction.
About the Artist
BW
BW is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: Screenprint. Based in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Nationality: British
Visual Provocateur | Stencil & Screenprint
