persona_eXgratia

persona-eXgratia is an 'art-form' developed by Ian Fleming through which he is exploring themes of identity.

In the same way that a playwright creates a cast of characters and then writes dialogue between them, Ian has developed 12 different identities each of which produces artworks that relate to a single subject, in a unique style and within a narrow range of media.

Whereas the playwright’s characters exist only within the pages of a play, or a theatre performance, Ian's intention is to live aspects of the lives of his 12 identities, and through artistic collaboration he plans to explore aspects of identity as a practice based research project.

That begs the question… Why? The answer has many layers. On the wider spectrum, things that happened in Northern Ireland during 30 years of ‘Troubles’, and also the inhumane acts that took place in Europe during the 1930s and 40s.

On a personal level it is a vehicle for an artistic exploration of the artist’s personal life experiences that have helped form his own ‘sense of self’. On a communal level, it enables an examination of the elements, which generate ‘difference’ between groups of human beings and the resulting constructive or destructive effects on individual ‘identity’ and personal well-being.