Ghosts in the Machine

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on August 23, 2011 at 2:08pm

Curator’s Comment:

 

Ghosts in the Machine seems to rely on its own manner of creation- the undulating wood grain pattern is primary to the subject and message.  The linear striations are boldly intertwined, so that the pattern overtakes the figures at first, and only after looking longer do I see their interactions.  Some figures are possibly feminine but most have an androgynous quality.  They fade into light silhouettes, or ghosts of the past.  The staining of the pigmented shapes in Ghosts also makes the subjects seem of the surface rather than paint applied on top.  This could reference ancestry or a collective memory.   As much I enjoy the lower chroma browns and greens of this work, I’m similarly pulled into the explosive color of your piece entitled Balinese Offerings/ Still Life # 1.  Both works possess a resolutely joyous approach to organic themes and lean towards decorative ornamentation rather than overtly descriptive illustration. In these imaginative spaces and patterns the motif emerges as a spiritual encounter.