Statement
"I am a propagandist. My work is a rebellion against external manipulation of inner joy. We allow ourselves and our happiness to be controlled by external conditions. (Happiness cannot be reliably built based on a world of change.) I want my happiness to be entirely disconnected from external circumstances. My work is a process of removing the conditioning of my mind that opens it up to being controlled by things I can’t control.
Building on the traditions of meme culture, as well as Constructivist and Productivist art, I reappropriate the techniques and visuals of propaganda to generate counter-propaganda. The focus of my work is using the very tools by which we are manipulated by businesses, governments, and our own attachments to environmental conditions, to demonstrate how we can free ourselves and defend our innate happiness."
Bio
Alexander Hayden (b. 1993, USA) creates art that touches on themes of manipulation, self-discipline, meditation, sex & love, mindfulness, the quest for peace, and the unfiltered realities of existence. Using oil, charcoal, and pastel, Hayden employs highly realistic depictions of the human form as a primary motif. Hayden heavily employs textual elements, lending his work an additional dimension of direct expression.
Drawing inspiration from Constructivist pioneers Eli Lissitzky and Alexander Rodchenko as well as contemporary meme culture, Hayden appropriates the techniques of memes and propaganda, harnessing their power to engage viewers and confront societal constructs. By mixing the depths of human emotion with the allure of propaganda aesthetics, he offers a thought-provoking lens through which viewers can examine the complexities of their own existence and the prevailing narratives that shape our shared reality.
A life-long nomad, Hayden travels full-time throughout the US, Central & South America, and Europe. His travels have heavily influenced his perspectives on culture and transience, and these influences feed deeply into the themes of clear communication and non-attachment present in his art.
Hayden's work can be found in collections throughout the US, Central America, and Europe. He has exhibited in Dacia Gallery (NY), Salmagundi Club (NY), Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art (WI), Zhou B Gallery (Chicago), and 33Contemporary Gallery (Chicago).
"I am a propagandist. My work is a rebellion against external manipulation of inner joy. We allow ourselves and our happiness to be controlled by external conditions. (Happiness cannot be reliably built based on a world of change.) I want my happiness to be entirely disconnected from external circumstances. My work is a process of removing the conditioning of my mind that opens it up to being controlled by things I can’t control.
Building on the traditions of meme culture, as well as Constructivist and Productivist art, I reappropriate the techniques and visuals of propaganda to generate counter-propaganda. The focus of my work is using the very tools by which we are manipulated by businesses, governments, and our own attachments to environmental conditions, to demonstrate how we can free ourselves and defend our innate happiness."
Bio
Alexander Hayden (b. 1993, USA) creates art that touches on themes of manipulation, self-discipline, meditation, sex & love, mindfulness, the quest for peace, and the unfiltered realities of existence. Using oil, charcoal, and pastel, Hayden employs highly realistic depictions of the human form as a primary motif. Hayden heavily employs textual elements, lending his work an additional dimension of direct expression.
Drawing inspiration from Constructivist pioneers Eli Lissitzky and Alexander Rodchenko as well as contemporary meme culture, Hayden appropriates the techniques of memes and propaganda, harnessing their power to engage viewers and confront societal constructs. By mixing the depths of human emotion with the allure of propaganda aesthetics, he offers a thought-provoking lens through which viewers can examine the complexities of their own existence and the prevailing narratives that shape our shared reality.
A life-long nomad, Hayden travels full-time throughout the US, Central & South America, and Europe. His travels have heavily influenced his perspectives on culture and transience, and these influences feed deeply into the themes of clear communication and non-attachment present in his art.
Hayden's work can be found in collections throughout the US, Central America, and Europe. He has exhibited in Dacia Gallery (NY), Salmagundi Club (NY), Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art (WI), Zhou B Gallery (Chicago), and 33Contemporary Gallery (Chicago).
Exhibitions
Artists Painting Artists, 33Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, September 2023
Offscreen, Ground Floor Gallery, curated by Junyi Liu & prize juror Vincent Desiderio, NYC, May 2019
Secondary Meanings: Figural Diptychs, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, May 2019
Collabarét: Labyrinth of Love, The Atrium, NYC, April 2019
International Biennial Portrait Competition 2019, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, WI, March 2019
The Lower East Side Art Show, Dacia Gallery, NYC, February 2019
Figuratively Speaking, Salmagundi Club, New York, NYC, February 2019
Adorn Me, PoetsArtists Exhibition with Zhou B Art Center Chicago, curated by Carol Hodes, February 2019
Salmagundi Junior & Scholarship Members Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NYC, January 2019
Holiday Group Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, NYC, December 2018
Salmagundi Club 2018 Annual Members' Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NYC, April 2018
Rendering Likeness, La Bodega Gallery, NYC, March 2018
Awards/Residencies
FIAF Farindola Residency, Farindola, Italy, 2023
'Certificate of Merit Award', Salmagundi Club 2018 Annual Members' Exhibition, NYC, April 2018
Bibliography
Menendez, Didi, PoetsArtists, Summer Issue, June 2023
Menendez, Didi, PoetsArtists, 10th Anniversary Issue (#92), March 2018
Menendez, Didi, Models, Gucci, Fashion, and Art, Medium.com, March 2018
TheGuideArtists, Issue 13, March 2018
Menendez, Didi, 100 Artist Studios, Buzzfeed.com, December 2017
Artists Painting Artists, 33Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, September 2023
Offscreen, Ground Floor Gallery, curated by Junyi Liu & prize juror Vincent Desiderio, NYC, May 2019
Secondary Meanings: Figural Diptychs, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, May 2019
Collabarét: Labyrinth of Love, The Atrium, NYC, April 2019
International Biennial Portrait Competition 2019, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, WI, March 2019
The Lower East Side Art Show, Dacia Gallery, NYC, February 2019
Figuratively Speaking, Salmagundi Club, New York, NYC, February 2019
Adorn Me, PoetsArtists Exhibition with Zhou B Art Center Chicago, curated by Carol Hodes, February 2019
Salmagundi Junior & Scholarship Members Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NYC, January 2019
Holiday Group Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, NYC, December 2018
Salmagundi Club 2018 Annual Members' Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NYC, April 2018
Rendering Likeness, La Bodega Gallery, NYC, March 2018
Awards/Residencies
FIAF Farindola Residency, Farindola, Italy, 2023
'Certificate of Merit Award', Salmagundi Club 2018 Annual Members' Exhibition, NYC, April 2018
Bibliography
Menendez, Didi, PoetsArtists, Summer Issue, June 2023
Menendez, Didi, PoetsArtists, 10th Anniversary Issue (#92), March 2018
Menendez, Didi, Models, Gucci, Fashion, and Art, Medium.com, March 2018
TheGuideArtists, Issue 13, March 2018
Menendez, Didi, 100 Artist Studios, Buzzfeed.com, December 2017