Artist Aesthetic
Unpretentious, transient beauty is incompatible to socio-cultural conformity.
Without the discovery of my major influences (artists, teachers and personal activities), the development of my personal aesthetic would have been limited. Being highly involved in visual literacy and running a blog - purely for my own visual satisfaction - finding what is aesthetically pleasing as well as engaging has become quite simple.
Voids of space are common within my works, stemming from my attraction to simplicity and emphasising the importance of the subject. Michael Zavros taught me to appreciate simplicity and focus on detail to evoke a response from my viewer, showing me that voids of white or black space prompt focus in a deceptively passive way
As a decision to satisfy my own fascination, flowers have become everything in my artwork, from subject matter to material. Their ability to symbolise beauty, transience of life and ‘self’ appeal to me on a visual and intellectual level. The fundamental issues from 17th century Vanitas paintings are paralleled in my work. I am attracted to the completely unpretentious, unaltered beauty of flowers, unlike humans whose physical beauty is -more often than not- attributed to some sort of manipulation, no matter how mundane it is. Preservation of this beauty is a desire that the majority of society can resonate with. By utilising flowers in my work, distorting their natural appearance, I hope to allow the audience's romanticised, historic association of flowers to become a deeper appreciation through new contexts.
Much like Quinn's biography explains, "The materiality of the object, in both its elemental composition and surface appearance, is at the heart of Quinn’s work." [3] Flowers become more than just a material in my work.
Andy Goldsworthy admits, "it's incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals, but I have to: I can't edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole." [4] His ephemeral work and use of raw materials has been very inspiring to me as an artist. I have learnt to allow serendipity and the course of nature to alter my work over long or short time periods.
My tendency to explore the fusion of biology and technology, especially in the context of medicine and genetic modification, was sparked by my research into Helen Pynor and intensified by the influence of Lucy McRae and Marc Quinn. These artists explore associations of the body and mankind’s desire to alter the course of nature. I bring these associations to the viewer in the most elemental form, stripped back from pretentiousness or manipulation. For example, the raw flower juice being used as ink or flower petals left on the paper to decay over time. The biological elemental compounds of my materials have not been edited, therefore displaying its superficial appearance as well as a deeper symbol.
Immersed in an environment of socio-cultural pressures to conform and alter my biology through any means necessary to appear or function in a certain way, my works have become an expression of nonconformist attitudes. Isn't this ironic? I am able to see the beauty, worth and purpose in what is natural, whether it has deteriorated or in its prime. The irony is that this is considered an alternative outlook.
The idea that 'an artist will spend their whole career exploring the same question' relates to the progression of my work. From my first piece, "Perfect Catch" (2012), exploring the representation of women through society, to "Stains" (2013), exploring society's inclination to outsmart nature… Together, this series of pieces function as a whole body of work, relying on one-another to complete my exploration of certain issues while being unified by visual language. Composition, subject matter, equal importance of fine detail and the bigger picture and strong tonal contrast are just some of the latter. Digital manipulation and the concept of photography as art in 2012 was a major influence to each piece. By inverting colour, increasing saturation and using time-based mediums, a sense of surrealism was added to the subject matter while questioning the role of technology. Whereas in 2013, simplistic or natural depiction of subject matter often resulting in a desaturated colour scheme picks up on the idea of the transient or ephemeral, questioning the role of nature.
My involvement in visual art has been an effort to understand myself, my surroundings and the simply unexplainable. I habe found that trying to articulate a concern or concept visually can easily become complicated. Every action has a purpose, and if not, serendipity often leads to beautiful discoveries.
“They become an image of perfect flower, because in reality their matter is dead and they are suspended in a state of transformation between pure image and pure matter,” [1] says Quinn about Garden.
This idea resonates with various works of my own. Potentially eternal flowers which can neither grown nor perish due to being immortalised through art.
"I am continually exploring ways to challenge the limits of the body, be it through a material or by something you swallow," [2] says McRae about Make Your Maker.
In challenging the limits of nature, I hope to expose its potential to enhance our being. A 'holistic transhumanist' approach rather than McRae’s somewhat artificial approach.
[1] Trevi, A. (2005) “Living Dead” Pruned http://www.pruned.blogspot.com.au/2005/11/living-dead-10-topographical.html
[2] McRae, L. (2013) "Body Architect", (Q&A), One Point Four, February 1, 2013, http://www.onepointfour.co/2013/02/01/body-architect/
[3] Quinn, M. (2012) "Biography", Marc Quinn, http://www.marcquinn.com/biography/
[4] Sooke, A. (2007) "He's got the whole world in his hands", The Telegraph, London, 24 March, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3663966/Hes-got-the-whole-world-in-his-hands.html
ART WORKS
The Nature of Medicine 2013
Mixed media: flower, flower juice, inks, medical equipment (intravenous drip bags)
Transience of prized beauty despite attempts of preservation by science and technology is drawn out into its most symbolic, essential form. In essence. The unstoppable force of nature prevails through the most sterile confines created in a medical environment such as the intravenous drip. Displaying contemporary culture’s reliance on medicine to prolong life, this acts as a symbol of the fragility of life without modern convenience and protection that is provided by science and technology.
Humankind has prioritised manipulation and control of mortality over allowing nature to run its course. This work acts as a reminder that there is transience of life despite advances in science and technology that allow us to outrun the death clock. The nature of medicine will not overrule the nature of nature.
Visual Language, Symbols & Media
A a sterile, controlled environment is created by voids of white space, harsh cold light, sharp lines and the subject matter of the IV bags. This heavily contrasts the natural, serendipitous environment depicted directly below the latter, created by the earthy pigments that were allowed to settle and bleed wherever gravity took them, creating a completely organic composition of colour, shape and tone. Positioning the organic image below the sterile image creates the idea that humankind has prioritised manipulation and control of mortality over allowing nature to run its natural course.
Flowers are used to symbolise beauty and youth while also being a symbol of transiency of these things. They act as a metaphor for everything beautiful/youthful that humans try to preserve.
The intravenous bags symbolise the controlled, sterile environment in which we place ourselves to preserve our youth, beauty and even health. In essence they are the means by which we attempt to immortalise ourselves. The association of the bags with illness adds to the idea that this work responds to both life and death, and what keeps us suspended in-between.
Child-like/cave-man drawings of flowers, which create an undergrowth and symbolise the inevitable circle of life that has been romanticised throughout history.
The natural pigment, accompanied by Payne’s grey ink, also represent mortality and imminent deterioration of even the most prised, beautiful things even with the assistance of the environment created to prevent and preserve.
As per usual, serendipity created a large majority of this work. Allowing the flowers to decay, create ‘ink’ and transcend from the suspended IV bags to the paper and settle wherever gravity allowed it. A lot of water-based techniques were utilised to create the composition on the canvas, such as watercolour pencils, water-based ink and liquid from the flowers.
Transparent Efforts 2013
Media: light box projection
Imbuing the haunt that is often associated with a sterile, hospital environment; X-rays of IV bags are insinuated to explore relationship between the natural discource of life and beauty, despite the best efforts of the most contemporary science and technology. These efforts are transparent (pun intended). Immortality is unobtainable as of yet...
My mother advised me not to stain my clothes. My teacher taught me stains appear after the interaction of dissimilar matter. 2013
Mixed media: flower, flower juice, doily embossing on paper
Society shows that stains are deeper than the surface of our clothing. We taint our bodies with medicine and have tarnished history with the human desire to live eternally. My fascination with mother nature and my desire to understand human nature illuminated this concept of indelibility. Much like an alchemical process, the fusion of Western and Indigenous knowledge, humans and medicine is irreversible. After Helen Pynor exposed me to the misconstrued view of our internal bodies and medieval medicinal remedies, I sought to explore the modern perception of illness and cures. X-rays show faults in bones, CT scans show disease and growth, conventional medicine is prescribed and taken routinely with a cup of tea. However, traditionally, disease was diagnosed through one’s own instinct and treated naturally with what was readily available in the wild. Progression of society has led to an alchemical reaction of cultures, traditions and knowledge which make a permanent mark in history. As a symbol of traditional British society, the doily and the pill cases are juxtaposed next to Indigenous inspired spiral patterns and phrases illustrating the fusing of the cultures. A dried, pressed flower has undergone an alchemical process similar to that of a person nearing the end of their life; their essence leaving a stain…
Stains 2013
Mixed media: flower stains, graphite, gesso, digital imagery
Stains go deep and in making this work, I’ve looked at various kinds: our tainted history, the taint of modern medicine as opposed to indigenous remedies
and how we abuse nature in our search for eternal youth.
All of these are indelible stains.
My research lead me to examine the possibility of a fusion of Western and Indigenous knowledge, while Helen Pynor’s work helped me see the essence of illness and cures in a visual form.
In each work, a dried, pressed flower has undergone an alchemical
process – its essence has left a stain that speaks to all this searching.
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Invert Primavera 2012
Time based photographic medium and photoshop
With little planning and vague goals, serendipity played a convenient role in the assemblage of the subject matter. I found, when you press something hard enough, you are bound to extract something extraordinary and when you flip something inside-out, the result is truly surreal.
Inspired by the myths explored by Botticelli and the aesthetic of both Kimber and Viola, I found my images fabricating a dream-like story of historical, mythical and personal context.
When something is as you expected, its authority is rarely questioned, so by creating a painterly texture in the images, second glances are prompted.
As my favourite season of the year, Spring often comes and goes with little appreciation. The beauty, celebration and myth that was once associated with Spring - shown by Botticelli - is something I have tried to expose.
Wake Up & Smell the Flowers 2012
Time based photographic medium and photoshop
Subconscious, surreal or simply story-book? There comes a time in a girl's life where she throws away the thread of hope that there really are fairies hiding in her garden when the sun goes down.
...or does she?
Dianne The Huntress 2012
Collaborative/ Experimental photography piece with Brooke Spain.
Long Exposure Photography and Montage
Originally, fairy tales explored the mysterious ways of the natural world and the human place within it. Children were introduced to often-harsh lessons through magical symbols and imaginings. Contemporary photography techniques allow us to delve into other worlds in similar ways by constructing new realities. We have used long exposures, hand lit to make our piece.
Perfect Catch 2012
1 x 0.5m
Fish net stockings, barbie dolls, glass fishing buoys, glass fish tank, newspaper
Women can only be three things the madonna, the mother or the whore. Which are you? Women have been trapped in this image for hundreds of years just as fish have been captured in nets. Adressing these feminist ideas, John Dahlsen has been my mentor artist as his techniques have been the most influential within my work. So who are you? The possessive, selfless, housebound mother? The naive, pure, oblivious madonna? Or the desperate, prevocative, demoralised, obedient whore? None. Women should not have to be captured in this archetypal image.