The title for Beyond Four Walls comes from a statement made by J.R.R. Tolkien regarding fairy stories. His claim: “Why should a man be scorned, if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner cannot see it. In using Escape in this way the critics have chosen the wrong word, and, what is more, they are confusing, not always by sincere error, the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter.” Tolkien’s point is that man has an obligation to imagine and move towards more than he currently knows, in other words, moving beyond four walls.
utilize art as a method of escape. Through the mediums of writing and painting I escape to a narrative world. This world is a place like and unlike our own but is ultimately a space of empowerment. In this fantasy world, I can begin to see my deepest desires which ultimately works to inform my life.
In the gallery I have chosen to hang some of the work several feet off the wall. This was done to present the pieces as not merely paintings but portals taking the viewer beyond the four walls of the gallery. Moving behind the paintings breaks the illusion. All that exists on the backside of the work are four tacks and a piece of wood. The juxtaposition of displaying the bare canvas in contrast to the elaborate front has been reconciled through the question: How much do we sacrifice for a narrative we believe in? The back of the piece is working in full support of the image side of the painting.
All of the work in Beyond Four Walls transports the viewer to another world and none of the pieces try and hide from the fact that they are paintings. Whether the work is projected, painted digitally, or has hints of acrylic, each piece reveals the process. This relates back to the idea of fantasy worlds. These places do not exist by themselves; I have had to imagine and then create them.
Many of these imagined scenes contain text. Text contributes to the process of building a narrative environment. However, I am dyslexic, so writing has always been a personal struggle. Keeping this in mind I have chosen to incorporate backwards text in my work as a way to contrast the power of writing and image making.
—Adam Rice, Senior B.F.A. Candidate