Artist interview: Alex Ford
Photo courtesy of the artist.
Soho has always skewed young. Two thirds of its dwindling population are under the age of 40, and you can probably knock a decade off that statistic if you’re surveying the transient crowds that prop up it’s many bars and nightclubs well past midnight. That might be why two late-middle-aged, saggy-bodied figures seem to catch the attention of everyone walking down lower Dean Street. Though to be fair, jaws aren’t dropping because of their age but the fact that they are standing in their underwear and have Martian red skin. It’s both ironic and fitting that this work, titled ‘Apex Predators’ with a knowing wink, was created by a very youthful looking artist named Alex Ford.
With a recent art degree from St. Martins, Ford is still very much at the emerging scale of London’s art scene but he’s already making a name for himself thanks to his hyper-saturated sculptures that blend pop culture and elements of horror to make social commentary. Two recent examples are an anorexic Cookie Monster, and a Mickey Mouse-eared skull melting like it’s been placed in front of an open Ark of the Covenant. Ford says he likes his works to have tension, and comments “I get quite attached to them. I see them as very beautiful, very honest objects.”
Most everyone else tends to use the word grotesque because despite their uncomfortable and sometimes freakish appearance they are also undeniably funny. Humour is a great way to draw people in to art. Ford notes that “I don’t know if I necessarily set out for it to be, on purpose,” but humour is something that he takes quite seriously. He’s aware that there’s a fine line between making a statement and being jokey. That’s something that can be tricky to navigate when his visuals tend to be outlandish, and so context and placement becomes extra critical. How and where his artworks are displayed helps ensure that wry, not wacky, is the overriding impression.
The current location for his work is The Smallest Gallery in Soho. As a former retail shop window it’s probable that Ford’s figures aren’t the first mannequins to have filled the space, except mannequins generally aren’t known to have leathery skin. The couple are clearly of an age where they’ve long ago accepted their bodies and the passage of time. Commenting on their facial expressions, Ford says that he “wanted both of them to have an air of self superiority, importance, and pride” and acknowledges that “they’re quite tense as people, but also completely free”. They are advancing in their years, but they are still here. Deal with it, Soho.
There’s an added layer of irony that these almost naked paunchy figures are positioned directly next to a billboard for a gay sex shop, which prominently features larger than life images of tight, tanned male torsos glistening in oil. This comparison of body extremes wasn’t planned, but is a serendipitous way to highlight the kinds of refinements Ford is now exploring in his work. His latest installation is surprisingly tame compared to many of his earlier works, nevertheless, it manages to instil an unsettling tone.
“It’s not body horror, the horror is in the body already. It’s way more interesting if it’s latent.” Ford tells me that what disturbs him the most about these works is that they are humans, yet not completely lifelike. They are objects. Technically they are slightly shorter and smaller than an average adult, not that you’d notice from the pavement, where you are forced to look up at them as they stand high on their plinths.
I ask Ford the question that everybody asks about figures that are depicted in art and the answer is no, they aren’t based on anybody in particular. Though he tells me that during the install he heard a voice outside the window exclaim “That’s us!” to which he turned and saw an elderly couple that looked eerily similar to the ones he had made. Inside the gallery Ford’s figures are standing proud, and he comments that “It’s important we’re not laughing at them,” which makes me wonder how this exciting artist might depict youth once he grows old himself, and inevitably turns his gaze backwards.
A quick disclaimer:
As a Friend of the Gallery, London Art Roundup is provided with advance and behind-the-scenes access to interview the artists that exhibit at The Smallest Gallery in Soho. All contributions are voluntary. Neither the artist, gallery or London Art Roundup received any financial compensation for this interview.
Click here to read our interview with The Smallest Gallery in Soho.
Plan your visit
‘Apex Predators’ runs until November 2025.
Follow @alexford.studio on Instagram for more info about the artist.
Visit thesmallestgalleryinsoho.com and follow @thesmallestgalleryinsoho on Instagram for more info about the venue.
The show is in partnership with RUMP Gallery. Visit rumpgallery.com and follow @rumpgallery on Instagram for more info.
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