Growth
The creative journey of an artist is often one that sees aspects of their inner selves exposed. That’s certainly true of the process of mixed media artist and sculptor Merissa Hylton, whose striking work was featured in Issue No.6 of ALHAUS magazine, the print edition.
Merissa sets out to explore and dissect aspects of her existence — including her own ancestry, emotions, mental health, self-acceptance, identity and healing. She shares a series of images with ALHAUS magazine on the subject of growth.
“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but actually, you’ve been planted.” As an emerging artist, this quote by Christine Caine resonated with me a few years ago and continues to resonate with me to this very day. I frequently come across stories about new artists becoming overnight successes, but what I’ve realised is that for me, it’s all about being planted for slow, steady growth and having the patience to trust the process.
“Most of the pieces I create are a result of growth — both personally and professionally. They are also an exploration of my responses to my own personal circumstances, as well as many current social and political issues.
“As a multidisciplinary artist, I am able to utilise a variety of different mediums to visualise my thought processes. I have addressed ideas around religion and mental health through photography; gender, disability and inclusivity through sculpture; and personal and cultural identity through painting.
“As I continue to learn and study both modern and classical art processes, I use it to push my own boundaries and challenge the status quo, as well as challenge myself to grow both personally and professionally.”
About Merissa Hylton: Merissa is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator and founder of Black British Visual Artists. She works in a variety of different mediums, employing the principle that the spirit, energy and inspiration of the piece dictate the materials used and the processes followed.
To see more of Merissa’s work celebrated on paper, purchase a copy of Issue No.6 of ALHAUS magazine, the print edition.