Charles Avery views his work as being both atomic and mystic, the latter consisting of figurative pencil drawings. His work is divided into two conceptual approaches: exploring a vividly realised fiction through improvised drawings and testing ideas from metaphysics, epistemology, anthropology, architecture and more.

Charles Avery, born 1973

Born in Oban, Avery is largely self-taught as an artist. Since 2004, he has been working exclusively on The Islanders, a body of drawing and sculpture which explores a parallel imagined world inspired in part by the Isle of Mull, where he grew up. The scope of his work continues to widen as he explores every aspect of The Island from its topography, economics and belief systems to its flora and fauna, at the same time creating a forum in which to explore questions of metaphysics, philosophy and mathematics. Avery was one of the artists who represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale in 2007, and has been shortlisted twice for the Jerwood Drawing Prize.