New paintings by Francis Ian look at sex and death through a different lens

The Corey Helford Gallery is currently showing an exhibit of fantastic new works by U.K. multimedia artist Ian Francis. Artificial Winter is Francis' first solo exhibition in 10 years and will be on display until November 25th.

"Francis makes socially conscious works that critique and celebrate a media-inundated age. He's described his work as being 'about pornography and news reports from warzones rather than sex and death,'" according to the gallery.

Francis explains in the exhibit's press release: "Looking back on my work, the focus has slowly shifted from media images of celebrities, to the curated images people create and maintain of themselves. I'm interested in the fragility of the construction of these images, the way they relate to each other, and their broader relationship with a pervasive feeling of a world falling apart. I'm amazed by the way people have transitioned from watching a world through screens, to being creators and participants of it, and the way they have become inextricably enmeshed within its structures and artifices."

Both the subject matter and materiality of Francis' work are captivating. When I visited the gallery, I was immediately drawn in by the very interesting juxtaposition of delicacy and harshness in Francis' work. Francis expresses his powerful insights about our world of technology through detailed, often transparent layers of paint using acrylic, oil, charcoal, and ink. Artificial Winter is beautiful and thought provoking - don't miss your chance to see the exhibit.

Check out more of his paintings from the exhibit here.