Tommy Angel
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Tommy Angel is the name of a fictional 'gospel magician' who features in the photographic and performance work of British artist Jonathan Allen. Gospel Magic is a form of evangelical entertainment used by Christian believers, primarily within the USA, to communicate religious stories and ideas through the medium of performance magic. Tommy Angel, who has been described as 'Billy Graham meeting David Copperfield via Donald Rumsfeld', can be understood as a parody of this seemingly contradictory alliance of deceptiveness and assertion of religious truth. Large black and white photographic images depicting Tommy Angel, recently exhibited at the The De La Warr Pavilion, and Singapore Biennale, create a mood of combative faith, juxtaposing the world of devotional religion with that of performance conjuring. Allen has performed the persona of Tommy Angel in a diverse contexts including cabaret venues, church halls, and art galleries such as Tate Britain.
A fake dollar bill bearing the face of Tommy Angel and various evangelistic slogans was introduced into public circulation (via pickpockets using their skills in reverse) during the 1st Singapore Biennnale in 2006.
Tommy Angel was the subject of a feature article in Magic (magazine) in February 2006.
