ADAM NORTON

The paintings fall into two groups, those based directly on obscure UFOlogy books and pamphlets, and the large text works. The book works enlarged as paintings on canvas re-invent themselves declaring a new future for their subject matter. The titles of old space and ufology books and self published alien contactee pamphlets become source material for new myth making and sloganeering about humankind’s place in the cosmos.

The large text works use the bright colors of Pop Art, 3D sign writing techniques and old school spacey fonts to create two or three word titles which call out across the void of space, announcing our presence in our little corner of the galaxy. The short phrases have a history of many uses, which help to form echoes of other meanings around their current use. The nostalgic resonance of the different typefaces and old fashioned design styles helps create ripples of the intergenerational calls expanding out from Earth since Yuri Gagarin heralded the start of the space age.

All the paintings release themselves from the nostalgic ghetto of their subject matter and enthusiastically push forward in a search for new cultural meanings. The vast empty areas between planets becomes a new place to explore, both literally and metaphysically.