Folds, assumed abundance

Folds. Assumed Abundance was informed by details of fabric as seen in late Renaissance paintings, as well as by patterns from Vlisco wax print designs. Here, the fragments of painted textile draperies are devoid of physical human form, leaving behind just the hollow shapes and traces of the bodies that once filled them. Acknowledging the cut-out, my work positions the contradictions of borrowed material, loss and emptiness, against the assumption of plenitude.  Since this work was exhibited at several exhibitions in Johannesburg and Pretoria (see below), each context facilitated shifts in understanding, reframing and additional layers of paint.

This painting affirms my fascination with the spectacle of neo-baroque aesthetics as well as reflecting my intention to remind the viewer of mortality in the face of grandeur. The reflection on humanity that offers conflicting messages, embellished emptiness, or simply less than we expect, is entrenched in history. Like the carnival that allows a riotous atmosphere, this work borrows fragments from unrelated art sources to create this trancelike reconstructed world.

Reference

Eng, D & Kazanjian, D (eds). 2003. Loss The Politics of Mourning. Berkeley Los Angeles London: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

LINKS

 https://issuu.com/gwenmiller0/docs/2019_unisa_staff_exhibition_catalogue.pptx

https://issuu.com/ufsartgallery/docs/folds___faults