| [De-] is an exhibition exploring relationships between decay, deterioration, and destruction while consciously investigating the impermanence of social institutions. My work is about change and dematerialization: water-based acrylic causes the steel surfaces to rust, which in turn affects the flow and color of the paint. Scraping away layers of pigment and oxidation resonates with philosophies concerned with deconstruction; they reveal the strata of power and expose its fabricated nature. Although the imagery is primarily nonobjective, a distinction is made against abstraction within an examination of historical and material context. The driving force is the literal destruction of seemingly impervious structures through nature, time, and effort. Corrosion and intervention produce opposition, but a progressive, synthetic whole emerges through which aesthetic beauty, growth, and potential are the visible results of decay.
Key Words: Art, Painting, Abstraction |