The year was 1965... On 3rd April, seemingly a day like any other, the air waves crackled into life and thus began a speech by legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey, projecting his predictions for a future so bleak and full of vice that his radio audience, and indeed his peers and colleagues, failed to comprehend the message and it was underappreciated in its time. The year is now 2016... It is clear to see that, whilst his monologue had no pretentions to prophecy at the time of broadcast, our world today is sadly not too dissimilar from the one he envisaged over fifty years ago. What was meant as no more no less than a dire warning to his audience against allowing the devil into their hearts and minds, influenced by his observations about society’s trajectory at the time of writing, has since been hailed as a Nostradamus-esque memorandum. The year is irrelevant... This is the lesson contained within this exceptional and insightful body of work by figurative artist Keith Maiden. Evil is evil, influence is influence, and the devil has lost none of his powers of persuasion since Harvey’s broadcast in 1965. Social commentary is a key component of Maiden’s subject matter, and we are forced to face the steady decline of mankind through this collection. In this work, Maiden’s provides us with a pictorial depiction of
work influenced directly by Harvey’s transcript, alongside the artist’s own observations about the pervading nature of malevolence in today’s world. The beauty of Maiden’s brush work and subtle palette render this dystopian viewpoint all the harder to accept. Following months of research and planning, sketching and painting, we are presented with work that engages its audience on myriad levels. Maiden will readily admit that the creative process was draining; day after day spent digesting and interpreting the cultural wars raging across the globe resulted in a great deal of introspection for the artist. He was consumed by the concept, and driven by his need to provoke a thought revolution. Maiden knows with full certainty that this collection will divide its audience. Some of us will focus on the form, some might be absorbed by the text, and others might live up to the artist’s expectations and walk away disturbed by the awakening that the pieces stirred within them. Be assured, there is no universal truth at work here, no prescribed response required, the artist would have you think what you like. Just as long as you are thinking…because the moment we cease to think, to analyse, and cease to challenge propaganda and those who would delight in our downfall, we each become the incarnation of the devil in Harvey’s broadcast…and he has won.
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