My Art Rationale
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
The vast majority of what appears in public goes through an aesthetic process or has an aesthetic treatment applied to it. Even media reports on tragic events are subject to aesthetic considerations (in other words, even death requires aesthetic applications). My art chooses many objects and images that appear in everyday life which don'
The vast majority of what appears in public goes through an aesthetic process or has an aesthetic treatment applied to it. Even media reports on tragic events are subject to aesthetic considerations (in other words, even death requires aesthetic applications). My art chooses many objects and images that appear in everyday life which don't normally receive an aesthetic treatment but undergo one from me because they are deserving of the aesthetic techniques available. Otherwise, these objects would be forgotten and, as it were, die due to being unrecorded (something we would not want to happen to ourselves). My artwork therefore advocates for the disposable and discarded. Objects and scenes that I draw or photograph such as a crushed can, a pair of scissors, the handle of sunglasses or some detail of suburban life are put through an innovative aesthetic process. These unique compositions are presented to the viewer as visions that inspire, kindle wonder and passion as well as to convey more insight and shock than we find in our daily lives. My selected subjects are promoted to a kind of celebrity status which is how one achieves long lasting recognition and a powerful presence in a society dominated by televisual entertainment.
Distortion and Disruption
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
Disrupting, distorting or fragmenting an image doesn't necessarily equate to disrespecting or despising it. It can, in fact, be quite the opposite, it can be an appraisal or an attempt to reveal a truth/truths regarding the chosen image. Adding one's own intervention or interruption can be a liberating act not only for the image but for t
Disrupting, distorting or fragmenting an image doesn't necessarily equate to disrespecting or despising it. It can, in fact, be quite the opposite, it can be an appraisal or an attempt to reveal a truth/truths regarding the chosen image. Adding one's own intervention or interruption can be a liberating act not only for the image but for the artist and viewer in that the pressure to consent to the original or intended meaning is challenged and diverted into other possibilities of meaning. For example, if an artist selects the emblem of McDonald's and turns it upside down, that act alone is inviting the viewer to revise what they associate with that image and what it suggests in a different orientation. It is my responsibility, I believe, as an artist to visually prompt questions and critical views of the consent we give to the status of everyday visual encounters. The manipulation of us as consumers in the aesthetic treatments of what we consume needs to be disrupted and distorted in order to inform and empower us in the way we interpret the visual information that intends to influence our choices, thoughts and world view. What happens when the 'normal' is transformed into something extraordinary and new - something 'mind-altering'?
Repetition and Space
Aesthetic Treatment (public, media, consumerism) and my art:
Repetition and Space
If art is to be competitive then it should strive to take up as much space as possible. Advertising knows that its success depends greatly on how much space it can occupy (and time!). However, a competitive visual artist can only effectively compete in terms of space rather than time. Advertising relies on repetition in order to occupy as
If art is to be competitive then it should strive to take up as much space as possible. Advertising knows that its success depends greatly on how much space it can occupy (and time!). However, a competitive visual artist can only effectively compete in terms of space rather than time. Advertising relies on repetition in order to occupy as much space as possible. Not only on the number of advertisements to promote a product but also the amount of a product on shop shelves and floors. Recently, I saw a wall of packs of toilet paper (seven packs high and four deep) at the entrance to a supermarket. I felt compelled to take a photo of it as it was so imposing and impressive. Likewise, I think artists should recognise and implement the significance of repetition - whether that be using multiple copies or versions to create 'one' piece or accepting the fact that many people only know the work of an artist from reproductions, photographs, etc. Repetition in art challenges the concept of an 'original' and it is one that artists must address (or at least be conscious of) as we live in a world that is made up of replications and copies. We may not want art to be mass manufactured but how does it then survive in societies in which people expect to acquire their own 'copy' of something they treasure. In the use of repetition and space, I think an artist should challenge the norms of capitalism by employing those elements of its own effectiveness in domination.