Is this painting who we now are? The identity grapplings of mystic artist Ben Edge

Vikings, miners, refugees, enslavers and good old Albion himself … Ben Edge reveals how his dynamic new understanding of Britain today was triggered by seeing a procession of druids march past a KFCA toy poodle called Lunar arrives at the door of Ben Edge’s studio in a furry blur of excitement. There’s also a full-size fibreglass horse, already halfway through the door. It’s being ridden by a mannequin who is wearing a garland of artificial flowers and, under that, a shirt patterned with green men, Uffington White Horse references and oak leaves. It’s identical to the one worn by the living, breathing artist standing next to me.A highlight of Edge’s upcoming exhibition at London’s Fitzrovia Chapel, the sculpture is titled Where Must We Go in Search of Our Better Selves. It’s a self-portrait like no other, riffing on the magnificent equestrian monuments of the Renaissance, and honouring the Garland King, a figure from the recesses of British folklore, who each May rides through the Derbyshire village of Castleton. “The Garland King has become a symbol for me,” Edge says. “I see it as representing a process of finding your own nature, of going inward.” Continue reading...

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