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| "The Assimilator"
by Paul Newman This large character based wall drawing is an illustrated scene from a simple story of a man who was not a man, taking on a new form in a new place, assimilating and mimicking in every way, every moment of everyday. This uncanny work creates a fragmented narrative containing elements of the surreal and nonsensical, that blurs the boundaries between drawn, real and photographic elements. The white glove suggests a magician, artistic sleight-of-hand is used to make the impossible possible, the familiar strange. There are thematic links to the film "The Man Who Fell to Earth" where we see our world through the eyes of an alien. The protagonists' sense of new wonder without purpose or direction, is tainted by the actual experience of the mundane and everyday. To survive, the character must assimilate what is around, but in the process of trying to fit in, he may find himself standing out even more. 
Paul Newman is based in Birmingham and works in a variety of media such as drawing, painting, video, installation and performance. He gained his Fine Art MA from Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (UCE) in 2004, where he was also awarded the Emma Jesse Phipps Bequest. He has exhibited in London, Reading and Oxford as well as the West Midland, and showed work in the Jerwood Drawing Prize National Touring Exhibition. He is an active member of Birmingham Artists and curated the exhibition "The Art of Illusion" At Cityspace earlier this year. He is currently collaborating as Behind Closed Doors, who have curated the event "A Confidentiality Clause" at Periscope in Birmingham, and "The 18th Storey" at Haddon Tower in Birmingham.
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