Alexi Marshall

Alexi Marshall works in linocut print, fabric and embroidery, investigating themes of spirituality, sexuality, womanhood and youth. Linocut printing is a recurring medium in Marshall’s practice. The prints convey a temporality as lines, bodies and worlds fold into each other to create theatrical tableaux and morality plays, populated by saints and sinners. A certain kind of violence is projected as the images are scratched and carved into the medium in these labour intensive, detailed carvings.

Inspiration for The Party came from looking at the murals of Diego Rivera, and Picasso's masterpiece Guernica, as well as classic renaissance paintings and the Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayon. Marshall’s interest lies in the wild inner self of humanity, moments when the facade of social decorum slips and true emotion is released, often aided by the intoxicated atmosphere of a party.

Knight of Cupsis the final instalment in a series of textile pieces shown in Marshall’s first solo show; ‘The Redemption of Delilah’. The exhibition - and this series in particular - sought to reimagine the story of the biblical figure of Delilah, exploring the universal themes of love, loss, grief, guilt and forgiveness. The composition of the print is directly inspired by the Ryder-Waite tarot illustrations by Pamela Coleman-Smith. Aesthetically and textually framing the piece is a poem written by Marshall, delicately hand embroidered in iridescent thread. Framing the knight, the words: ‘You are flesh, you are blood, you deserve love’ stand as a reminder than man is flawed and fallible but within human nature we can call on the Knight of Cups, to wash away the pain of the past, forgive and deliver us to a new beginning.