In the series DENTED PAINTED, artist Alex Davis explores the vibrant and unique visual vocabulary of vehicles. This collection of limited-edition sculptures and wall reliefs elevates the decorative tradition of South Asian public transport into the realm of contemporary art.
The work draws inspiration from the homegrown artistic idiom that developed as vehicle owners adorned their trucks and buses, treating them like cherished members of the family. Evoking the flourish of the street painter, Davis reinterprets iconic motifs found on these surfaces. Images of the lotus with curling tendrils are rendered in painted steel in large, dramatic sizes. He also engages with the cryptic words, slogans, and directions found on the rear of vehicles, which were often painted in distinctive indigenous fonts that combined popular culture and street graffiti.
Having worked for years in stainless steel, Davis utilizes painted sculptures in this series to play with these graphics. He engages with this decorative language, but transforms it through a dramatic shift in scale and context. By amplifying these familiar forms and placing them within a gallery, he invites the viewer’s gaze to move them from the world of popular culture to that of fine art, fostering a new and profound appreciation for this unique aesthetic.
