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An illustration of a solitary, blocky building in a desolate, white landscape. The structure features colourful geometric patches and the word “ICE” in bold red letters.

Excellently bleak and pastel depictions of disaster-torn places from Amze Emmons

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Date
16 May 2012

When something looks like it’s been done on a computer but it’s actually been created by hand I’m instantly impressed and it’s even better when that work is actually really good (rather than just those weird painted replicas of Johnny Depp or David Beckham you see on the market sometimes).

Take the work of Amze Emmons for instance whose work explores disaster and refugee architecture but depicts them in a simple line drawn style with sweet, ice-cream colours that jar beautifully against the isolated, dilapidated spaces and makes us question the reality Amze has captured. Using a range of techniques including stencilling, etching, silkscreen, relief with materials including graphite, gouache and watercolours all on paper, his work is engaging and superbly realised.

An illustration of a vast wasteland filled with piles of rubble and oversized, colourful letters. A small blue cat stands in the foreground beside a simple wooden table.
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Amze Emmons: The Sleepwalkers Language

An illustration of a makeshift shelter built from colourful patches of fabric and corrugated metal. It overlooks a wasteland of rubble, featuring a turquoise sofa and a large, rounded white structure.
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Amze Emmons: National Treasures

A painting of a makeshift settlement of shacks built from mismatched panels of wood and corrugated metal. The structures are draped in colourful fabrics and sit on the edge of a dark, still body of water.
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Amze Emmons: Assets Based Approach

An illustration of a desolate, pale landscape under a deep blue sky. Scattered across the ground are several tyres, a pink barrel, a cardboard sheet and small, insect-like creatures.
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Amze Emmons: Contingent Improvisation

An illustration of a sparse, hazy landscape in muted grey and pink tones. A tall, thin pole stands in the centre, flanked by a pile of grey rocks and a blue rectangular structure.
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Amze Emmons: Museum of Crime

An illustration of a sparse room with an orange wall and a pale floor. Several thin mattresses are laid out on the left, while the right side is cluttered with scattered debris and small objects.
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Amze Emmons: Muted Cyphers

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

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Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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