Portal to Collective Consciousness: Works by Athlone Clarke

Athlone Clarke was born in Jamaica in 1956 and in 1985 immigrated to the United States where almost everything that had been familiar to him had been replaced by a new reality.  Athlone says one thing that has remained constant since childhood, was his desire to create.

“… every object I see, or touch, or include in my work was built on the foundation of that which went before it, which is African ingenuity passed down through generations.  I relate to this feeling of reverence whenever I touch or incorporate ancient African objects into my work.  Instead of being overlooked, lost, or discarded in our ‘throw away’ society, I feel like I can give certain objects a new life and a chance to tell their own creative story.”

When asked what the greatest lesson he has taken away from all his years as a mixed media artist.  Athlone Clarke’s answer is simple, “Art saves lives”.