This is a reference site for Andrew Litten college work age 16 - 18
studio photo 2012
Biography 2013
An early interest in expressionist art lead to evening classes in life drawing whilst still at school. Began art college but found it a restricting and claustrophobic experience so did not persevere with art education.He traveled the UK to find inspiration within commonplace life; aiming to convey an emotive poignancy in figurative representations of 'the ordinary' and make humanistic art away from what he regarded as 'the ego driven huge scale, and the guarded impersonal language of high art'. 'Working in minute and small scale in the late 1980’s and early 90’s with the humblest of materials such as note paper, envelopes and biros, to surreptitiously placing works in galleries to combat art elitism (before the Stuckists did this), and working under various names to create conflicting identities'(Jane Boyer 2013). Other creative surnames used at the time with family origin from Wales and Devonshire - Bayliss, Marshall, Price, Jones, Litten, Litton). In a period of around four years, well over a thousand works were created.
He then began employment in photographic studios during the early 1990’s in London and later in Oxford where visits to Richard Hamilton’s studio encouraged a renewed interest in ambitious figurative painting. A shift in focus occurred towards subject matter involving psychological disturbance, with interest in extreme behavioural themes of depersonalisation, voyeurism and sexual attachment.
Moved to Cornwall in 2001 and began exhibiting with DICK THE DOG in Penzance, UK with the solo exhibition I THINK I WAS JUST TALKING TO MYSELF. In the same year was included in an exhibition of nudes in New York City (along with Epstein and Renoir) which saw a review in the NEW YORK TIMES. First major exhibit in London was with the large scale work DOG BREEDER which was to be seen in the Dada tradition of anti-art. Commenting on the absurdity of the contemporary art world and its hierarchies. DOG BREEDER was exhibited in LIME WHARF project space in Vyner Street during the week of Frieze Art Fair 2007.
Recent work; paintings, sculpture, assemblages and digital prints, have focused on issues of identity with representations of the single figure or with a two figure duality. Subjects deal with subtle identity shifts along with more direct issues of identity disturbance, social alienation, drug use, ageing and other wide ranging emotive lead themes. In 2012, Litten appeared as 'Guest' artist with a solo exhibition at L-13 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP, London and in 2013 as guest artist in 'This Me Of Mine' exhibition and symposium discussing 'identity in the digital age'. Included in '100 Painters of Tomorrow' published by Thames and Hudson. 'ID Smear' solo exhibition 2013 at MOTORCADE / FLASHPARADE, Bristol.
