#impermanence Statement

The potential for new meaning and re-contextualization out of contradiction is the focus of my art. As a student of art history, I have always been most interested in how the same meaning is often transformed to serve dual purposes. Hence, when I began my studio practice, I was eager to explore the idea of duality, specifically by bringing together my two academic fields, mathematics and art. The problem that this presented, however, was the inescapable contradiction of trying to visually represent something which is purely conceptual. My art has developed over time to embrace this contradiction and draw on this duality to create tension in my work.

Questioning the relative importance of subject matter, I rely most heavily on the incongruities present at the base level of my medium. Previously, I have explored the use of texture with latex paint, directly in defiance of its inherent desire to lay flat. This material, along with its accessibility, has led me to a deeper engagement with items of an industrial, ready-made nature, especially those that maintain their utility outside of the practice of art-making.

My palette is usually derived from mis-tinted, rejected paints, and hence I strive to bring to new light to the materiality of each work as part of my continual flirtation with the decorative. Often containing some element of spontaneity, chance, or re-purposing, my paintings seek to engage their audience by provoking some brief moment of recognition: the flash of a distant memory or a tiny blip of personal significance. These moments allow the paintings to grow as a result of their ability to create an unlimited number of unique, readily apparent dualisms, first as they interact with one another, then as they interact with the viewer.

For me, this exhibition is a transition, an active deconstruction and re-imagining of my own methodology. By physically tearing and scraping what was once pristine, I hope to extend the conceptual boundaries I present. As I challenge the strict limitations of my mathematical upbringing, I am starting to overcome my rigid adherence to the crispness of line. Gradually, I am embracing the organic nature of paint, surface, and texture. This is less of a finale, far more a new beginning.

Exhibit Card:

 

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