Burt Pidgin was born of that sludge found in the mid-land bogs of Ireland. Graduating from Limerick School of Art and Design with a BA in Printmaking and Contemporary Practice, Burt is no longer proficient in anything print or even contemporary. After this exploration into the schooled arts, Burt ventured to Vancouver, where he bluffed his way into being an artist production assistant for a few years before returning to Ireland. Where he now works out of La Cathedral Studios in Dublin.
It's been 18 months since Burt sipped on a pint with their friends. Longing to worship at the altar of Dionysus, once again. The absence and presence of human interaction is a near-constant wavering thought. It is in this flux that we find 'The Inability to Properly Convey a Point'. Burt uses portraiture as a means of storytelling. Each portrait holds the treachery of images. A congruence of personal and third part narratives. Themes of failure, longing and trickery are played out in a swashbuckle of vibrant colouring.
The underlying thesis within the show is the representation of idols. Specific interest is placed upon the very human instinct of idol fabrication. The fundamental faults in the ability to recollect and retell stories. The ongoing cycle of identity narrativization. Stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. The creation and modelling of idols that we inhabit. However, something is always obtuse. Askew.
As we interoperate our past selves through the lens of our present, we determine which of our past selves we were. In turn, new idols are constructed. This takes the form of sculptures, paintings, and mixed media as a means of communication. Shaping their own story between viewer and artist. Personal, singular. Familiar but wrong.
It's just a real pity Burt can’t tell a story to save their life.
