Matt Copson
b. 1992, Oxford
2011–2014 BA Fine Art, Slade School of Art, London
Artist’s Statement
My current work centres solely around an adaptation of the character of Reynard the Fox- originally popular in European folkloric tales.
Reynard appears in many different guises, endlessly performing shows to try and teach the proles a lesson or two and win round the judicial elite.
He dies at the end of every piece ☹.
In these two renditions, ‘Reynard’ and ‘Reynard with a Vengeance’ we find our eponymous anti-hero going through a tough time. ‘Reynard’ is a digital shadow-puppet show where an apparently neutral, innocent Reynard details his existence on the streets of South-East London, culminating with a bloody showdown. ‘Reynard with a Vengeance’ is an animated wall-mural featuring a now-beheaded-and-blinded, pseudo-fascistic, monstrous Reynard talking about his desire to wreak indiscriminate havoc on every section of society.
Other work in this never-ending series has involved collaboration with kids and youth centres in Peckham, and most recently ‘The Last Reynard Show’ (Slade Degree Show, 2014) featured a physical Reynard alone in his den of debris and cave-paintings delivering a plea for sympathy.
To conclude: Reynard is really, really, really angry and very, very, very dissatisfied. And you’ve only got yourselves to blame.
Hate the player! Hate the game! UUUUUURGGAAAHAHHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
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