AN OXFORD artist who once created an 'installation of 48 invisible hovering orbs' has now turned his front porch into what he calls the 'Notional Porchtrait Gallery'.
Mark James, who lives on Trinity Street in South Oxford, has filled his windows with portraits of 'imagined characters of a multiverse'.
As with his previous unusual works, he says his extraordinary drawings are designed to 'make people's minds wander'.
Read also: Filming for rumoured 'Tom Hanks' and 'Spielberg' TV show taking place in Oxfordshire
The Notional Porchtrait Gallery is actually Mr James's offering as part of the Great Big Art Exhibition, which asked artists from all over the country to display artworks in their windows during lockdown for passers-by to enjoy.
He said: “The idea for my Notional Porchtrait Gallery is part of the bigger idea from the Great Big Art Exhibition from Finisite – a visual arts organisation based in Colchester.
Mark James has been displaying his artwork for passers by in his 'notional porchtrait gallery'. Picture by Ed Nix
“The exhibition is meant to encourage people to be creative but also, as we can’t go to museums, people can see an exhibition in their neighbourhood when they walk past the windows of people’s houses.
“In my porch, the portraits are ‘notional’ as they are imagined characters of a multiverse.”
The artist has displayed in his porch portraits and sketches of the imaginative beings to try to catch the eyes of passers-by bored during lockdown.
Read here: What you said: 'Keep us in lockdown until everyone's vaccinated'
But it is not the first Mr James has displayed his unusual artwork for Oxfordians to see.
In 2019, he turned a canal boat into an ‘expedition into a infinite multiverse’.
In that exhibition he displayed similar sketches that he said explored the ‘nature of infinity’.
The year before that, the trained artist unveiled an ‘installation’ of 48 invisible floating orbs around the solar system, including some that he said were 'floating in the Tate Modern'.
As with most of his installations and exhibitions, Mr James hopes his ‘Notional Porchtrait Gallery’ will help people use their imaginations and let their minds wander - which the artist says is particularly important now the country is in lockdown.
He said: “I took the art exhibition a bit further by putting on the mini-exhibition in my porch. As it’s all windows, the light comes in through the paper so you can see the drawing from the inside and outside."
Read here: What is happening to the Bullnose Morris pub now?
The Great Big Art Exhibition started running three weeks ago and will end on May 7.
He added: “When you are stuck somewhere your imagination can roam: multiverses and lots of different places can be created.
Mark James has been displaying his artwork for passers by in his 'notional porchtrait gallery'. 18/02/2021 Picture by Ed Nix
“Putting them in the porch means those walking pasts can look at them and wonder about the face.
“They can read the face and get an impression from it, think about the characters.
“I hope that people will like it, and that it will inspire the imagination a bit and be something slightly different to the normal expectation.”
You can join the Great Big Art Exhibition by visiting www.firstsite.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here