Adam Guiel was born and raised in Reading, England and studied fine art at Reading college and school of art and design. He then went on to study graphic design at Reading as well as photography, product design and psychology at Walford and north Shropshire college. After moving to Shropshire he set up his own photography & graphic design company producing work in a range of mediums. Since closing down his studio in 2012 he has been suffering with severe anxiety and depression which is expressed heavily in his work. Over the past few years he has been working hard, quietly in the back ground, producing a series of dream inspired prints named “Views from the unconscious”. He hopes that viewers of his work will be able to relate to the emotions he puts in to his pieces through their own experiences and reflect on the deep messages hidden within the pieces.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
Views from the unconscious
“Just like dreams, art has the power to influence our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Psychoanalysis is a method of studying the human mind and the motivations behind our behaviour based upon exploration of the unconscious. It’s most valuable source of material can be found within our dreams, reflecting both our inner and outer life. Contrary to Freuds belief, I believe our dreams are not exclusively comprised of wish fulfilment fantasies, nor are they just surreal scenes randomly thrown together from memories. Dreams are a visual way of addressing the worries, problems and desires from everyday life, and by using symbols and metaphors can convey meaning which we can then interpret and use to help manage the major life changes, threats and problems we face throughout our lives. These dreams may seem as complex and irrational as we are, but once we understand the language we have a key to the unconscious. This in turn can motivate change through an understanding within ourselves”.
“Using life, mental heath and my own thoughts and experiences I have created a series of surreal, dream-like scenes using photography and photomontage. These psychological images are built around symbolism and theories of dream interpretation which I hope will in turn provoke emotion, deep thought and reflection within the viewer; stimulating personal meaning as well as being interpreted differently through the changing moods of life. My art is for anybody who wants to look beyond the obvious and feel the seasons of the unconscious mind.”
‘Behind those eyes you lie’ by Adam Guiel