Kirk Mangus
Alice and Cat
About the Artwork
This 10 color screenprint features a stylized illustration from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The gestural strokes and sense of endearing immediacy are qualities for which Kirk Mangus became most known and admired.
Curatorial Opinion
Ceramicist and painter Kirk Mangus had a mark-making language all his own, whether transforming a clay pot or a blank piece of paper. His strong, at times crude lines vibrate and fizzle with movement and energy. In Alice and Cat, Mangus was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Here, Alice looks up at the Cheshire cat skeptically as they meet for the first time, with an eyebrow raised and her pursed lips pinched on one side. The cat himself is an enormous presence, grinning famously while paying Alice’s growing frustration no mind.
About the Process
Haystack works with both traditional printmakers and digital printers to ensure each artist’s print reflects the most important aspects of their studio practice. Alice and Cat was printed in collaboration with the artist and Forth Estate at Axelle Editions (a renowned printmaking studio active from 2005 – 2015). Each print was created by silkscreen printing (also known as serigraphy). This method requires stenciling techniques wherein ink is pressed onto paper through deliberately exposed areas of a mesh screen one color at a time.
