British artist Alfie Rouy defines his style as “abstruse”, fitting for his diverse thematic approach to his artwork which evokes a spiritual and otherworldly sense. With his eclectic references to Earth's evolution, and inspiration from areas in our universe unseen, Rouy discusses his journey on depicting these subjects in various art forms, recent exhibitions and future projects.
How would you describe your artistic style?
That’s something I’ve always struggled to define. It’s been described as surreal but I think that term has become a bit mundane. My work is becoming a lot more abstract at first glance, but the context behind it doesn’t quite fit. It’s also figurative but this is becoming more fractured as I paint. I’m ultimately on a path of figuring out how to paint something that is massively complex but simple in its nature, and vice versa, with its aesthetic, context and feeling, which I think the term abstruse fits nicely.
You’ve mentioned that a lot of your work is created by “following intuition”, something that ties in with your connection to spirituality. When did you first discover this was a tool for your creations?
When I was about 18, it was almost like a switch, and I was turned on. It felt like I was suddenly awake and the things in the world around me started to fall into place. Looking back before this time it feels like I was just plodding along, inept to the wonder of life, everything before this was just a series of events that finally woke me up. However, what cemented my lessons of intuition was when my Nan told me to always follow my gut, since that day I try to always follow it in every way and decipher its riddles as it’s such a complex thing.
In your artist bio it mentions Hilma Af Klint’s work with De Fem, which means “They made contact with High masters”. Have you experimented with séances or communes with spirits in this way?
No, I haven’t ever actively set up a séance with the hope of contacting anything. Although I do like to think there is something there beside me helping and protecting, and guiding me in the right direction, whether it’s with my practice or everyday life. Whatever or whoever it is, I do sometimes call upon it for some inspiration and help here and there. What’s the harm?
You were a part of the acclaimed exhibition held at BWG Gallery titled Apocalyptic Changes of State. How did you get involved with this project and what drew you towards it?
I first met Jack Trodd, the Director, a few years ago and we’ve always discussed working together, as I like the shows BWG have put on in the past, but for some reason or another it never came to fruition until Apocalyptic Changes of State. I’m glad to have been in this show as I think it was an incredibly curated show with a massive range of artists that all somehow came together in a chaotic but balanced exhibition. What drew me specifically to this exhibition was the opportunity to make work for a show that aligns somewhat with my practice, but at the same time take a different route in my practice to add to the busy conversation that the exhibition told.
The exhibit addressed the concept of Anthropocene, what is your personal interpretation of this idea in the context of 2024?
There’s two parts to this answer as quite a big part of my practice is questioning and documenting the current phase of evolution Earth is going through. From a variety of sources and the recent shift into the age of Aquarius it’s said that Earth is currently at the beginning [of] a transformation that starts with chaos but will ultimately ascend itself and everything on it to a higher level of consciousness. I wouldn’t say I fully believe this as gospel and live my life by it, but I accept the possibility of it and am inspired by the hope that it brings.
Concerning the Anthropocene; human impact as of 2024 is almost endless and utterly complex, there is massacre, but there is also mass amounts of compassion and love. I’d say that us and everything we do is as much part of nature as the everyday working of an ant colony. If we take perspective out of our human egos and observe from an outer source, us and everything we do is just as much part of Earth’s fate as everything else.
Concerning the Anthropocene; human impact as of 2024 is almost endless and utterly complex, there is massacre, but there is also mass amounts of compassion and love. I’d say that us and everything we do is as much part of nature as the everyday working of an ant colony. If we take perspective out of our human egos and observe from an outer source, us and everything we do is just as much part of Earth’s fate as everything else.
As well as being a visual artist, you are also musician in the band Baby Vanga. How would you describe your sound?
It’s got a bobbly and bouncy yet sometimes fierce and intense sound, with melodic rhythms scattered throughout. All made up with the usual three: drums, bass and guitar, but also with synths, flute and percussion.
As a multidisciplinary artist, you often find cross-overs between the works of each medium. What themes do you see conveyed in both your music and your paintings?
I’m not the main writer of the band, that is done by Jules Smith, however I think our minds are somewhat in a similar place of understanding. I think there’s wisdom woven into the music just as I try to weave it into my paintings, and there’s also a sense of journey that pops up. Just as a song can take you through emotions and ideas, and have a long lasting, almost addictive effect, I strive to do that with my paintings too.
Growing up, what was your artistic inspiration and has this evolved over time or stayed the same?
I used to be more into making things as a child, I loved Lego and then as a teenager this grew into making props from films, which lead onto illustration and sculpture while studying at college. This is where I started to become more connected to Earth and perceiving the world through a more spiritual outlook. At university this grew even more and took my work all over the place. Now, I’d say that there is always a consistent spiritual lens, but as I continue to grow so does my perception, so my inspiration is always shifting.
You had your debut exhibition Earth Eater at Guts Gallery this year, what was the highlight of this show for you?
There’s innumerable highlights — I loved the show so much. One of the main ones was the opportunity to show at such a prestigious, up and coming gallery, and alongside this was the work I made. I pushed myself further than I had ever before and learnt so much and [it] has changed my work as a result.
What can we expect from you in the upcoming months?
I plan to hone in on new ideas that I’ve been dabbling with and take the work into new dimensions while also keeping the elements I love from previous paintings. I also want to play around with some sculpture ideas that I’ve been running through in my head for quite a while. So, I imagine at some point in the future you can expect to see them here and there.
