Alexander Midknight

Pronouns: He, him, they, I, we.

Adjectives: Irreverent, ironical, sarcastic, satirical, and optimistic nihilist (or existentialist or absurdist).

Unacceptable pronouns: It (I’m a human, not an object).

Existence is weird.

My entire life, I’ve been fascinated by the human experience. Further, I’m fascinated by the capacity and drive for creation within the human spirit. Finally, I tend to view destruction as an act of creation; where there was something, we created nothing (or something else). (Insert Ship of Theseus reference here.)

Not being much of a joiner, I’m not part of a school or movement; I don’t even know if there are schools and movements anymore. With that said, my work is influenced greatly by various movements and styles, even those I cannot seem to replicate.

My appreciation for things tends to be atomic, not wholesale.

I may appreciate a small portion of a larger piece while disliking the rest of it (the fear is a choice line from After Earth, for example). Further, I may appreciate a creative work without appreciating (or having any opinions about) its creator.

When it comes to the technical execution of media, I appreciate:

• M.C. Escher,
• J.D. Hillberry,
• Jerry Uelsmann, and
• Burne Hogarth.

Before attending university, I practiced extensively to master tools and techniques, though I’m not sure it worked out.

When it comes to text as image work, my influences are:

• Ed Ruscha and
• Barbara Kruger.

These two artists and my tendency toward punk attitudes inspired the I Give You: My Word collection.

When it comes to the dark and fanciful, I lean toward:

• Brom and
• John Santerineross.

For writing, specifically fiction, I favor:

• Nathan Lowell and
• the controversial Ayn Rand.

I’m not much of a consumer of the written word, particularly fiction; I usually stick to movies. However, I regularly revisit Nathan Lowell’s work, specifically those from The Age of the Solar Clipper. On the other hand, Ayn Rand comes and goes, and I don’t appreciate her non-fiction nearly as much as her fiction.

While I don’t know her body of work, Magdalina Abakanowicz came to the Savannah College of Art and Design while I was attending and said something that has always stuck with me, to the point it’s the only thing I remember her talking about during the hour-or-more lecture:

Should the artist be the shaman of society; or merely its decorator?

Honorable mentions include folks like Banksy and Duchamp.

The name Alexander Midknight was coined by Josh Bruce in the mid-nineties as a pseudonymous online handle; AMidknight.

It was inspired by a Fisher Stephens character named Alexander Midnight from the movie When the Party’s Over.

At present, Alexander Midknight doesn’t represent an alter ego with a different personality. Instead, he’s a more internet-unique name with a different profession.

Humans can sometimes find it difficult to accept the multi-faceted nature of their existence. (Not to be pretentious.) We tend to link people to their professions. Their profession becomes their brand. Or at least the profession they become most noted for.

Alexander Midknight is a tradename owned by 8fold, llc.