Artist Statements
Arena of Abjection
Inspired by Julia Kristeva’s definition of abjection as our “reaction to a threatened breakdown in meaning, caused by the loss of a distinction between subject and object or between self and other,” my paintings investigate a collapse in distinction between opposing forces. Through the abstraction and representation of multiple image sources, I interpret this concept with focus on simultaneous fascination and disgust, and ambiguity and recognition. It is in moments of disgust, fascination, and confusion that we become more aware of our own material existence. This experience is a moment of authenticity in a culture increasingly removed from many forms of physical confrontation. Within this body of work, I negotiate a spectrum of abstraction and distortion, relating as much to representation as to gestural painting. It is important that the paintings are in constant flux between image as illusion and image as medium. My intention is to create paintings that become a middle ground between the physical world and the psyche, by shaping a location where viewers are confronted with a breakdown of boundaries. The constant flux of visual information within each painting encompasses each person in scenes that feel both massive and vulnerable to self-destruction. The experience integrates audiences into a parasitic system of growth and deterioration, reflecting their own co-dependant relationships.
Atmospheres