Pluscarden monk prepares for solo art exhibition
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A MONK is preparing to launch a solo exhibition of his artwork at his home of Pluscarden Abbey.
Brother Daniel Morphy studied art in London before joining the Benedictine community in Moray.
Around 1982 and during his time at Camberwell School of Art, Br Daniel came across a book featuring the work of American comic artists such as Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Justin Green, Kim Deitch and many others from the 60’s generation.
He said: "This changed my life; I started taking the idea of an art vocation seriously and thought I would make comics just like them."
After completing his studies, Br Daniel instead moved to Pluscarden Abbey to become a monk and has lived there ever since.
It was alongside his daily duties in the Abbey that Br Daniel took up icon painting. From there, he began to make his extraordinary sculptures, paintings and illustrations.
Renowned British artist Robert Priseman, who has been assisting Br Daniel on preparations for the exhibition, said: "Books and manuscripts have always been central to the life of monks, who would write and illuminate them by hand before the printing press was invented.
"Within the margins of these medieval handmade books we regularly find the imagery of the bizarre, which includes everything from monkeys playing the bagpipes to human-animal hybrids, weapon wielding rabbits and mermaids.
"This strange and irreverent illustrated humour is today known as Marginalia and artists themselves are often the greatest admirers of these peculiar and challenging drawings, for they display the mind of a creative when it is at its most inventive and free.
"Today, marginalia can be said to have moved out of the margins and into the mainstream, where it proudly constitutes our comic and carton culture.
"And it is within this tradition that Br Daniel is producing some of his most interesting and engaging work, with cartoons such as The Fisherman, The Motorcade of the Lamb and Chorus which appear to effortlessly fuse the medieval with a contemporary vision."
Ahead of the launch, Br Daniel said: "When they ask me what is it? What does it mean? I can only say ‘well, nothing really’. But the work does say something, only I can’t put it into words.”
The exhibition runs from April 4 to June 5 at Pluscarden Abbey's visitor centre, which is open daily from 10.30am-5pm.
Framed and signed prints will go on sale at £45 with unframed and signed prints being £25. All proceeds will go the Pluscarden Abbey South Range Project.
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