Chris Burns is primarily a figurative painter who uses the process of etching as an
integral part of his studio practice. His style is graphic, obsessional, umbilically
connected to the human condition. Burns has an iconoclast’s approach to very familiar
subject matter; a series of work may develop over many years, stripped back to its bare
bones and rebuilt through hundreds of studies till a subject has been rewired, still
familiar, yet completely new.
‘Kingdom' is a series of work by Chris, based on animals. Begun as derogatory selfportraits (usually farm animals such as mules and pigs), the series developed over a
decade or more. Through etching and dry point, the original drawings now take on a
powerful stoic presence as though spot lit; seemingly caught unsuspectedly. But these
creatures are less like a depiction of wildlife in its natural environment, more like
beasts in mug shot; some guilty, some accused, some tortured, forlorn and lost, even a
few are innocent. Perhaps this series hasn't strayed too far from its origins in selfportraiture.
