My latest work signifies something of a breakthrough in terms of what a jar of paint can depict: A degree of subjection is instantly attached to the contents of each jar. They no longer represent paint; they represent the essence of paint.
Four Jars of Memory
The properties of food have still been exploited in order to achieve the paint. But rather than describing the face value of the paint, labels have been attached that describe metaphorical and experiential attachment to the paint, based on the paint’s properties. For example, the label ‘Home’ is attached to paint made from tea. This is because the concept of a cup of tea contains within it connotations associated with the experience of being home.
The jar of paint is now able to communicate the notion that memory has an intrinsic and complex correspondence to the food we consume, and that preconception dictates our preference to food.
A notable juxtaposition is that, inherently, what I have created are still essentially jars of paint – meaning that they can be consumed, exchanged, revered and dismissed in the same way all products can. The notion of memory-based subjection and individual regard becomes restated as a consumable item.
I have also applied each paint to a surface in equal rectangular strips behind the corresponding jar. The nature of applying paint in this way seeks to remove subjection and seeks to regard application of paint as a reference – a tool which one can use to ascertain the nature and density of the paint at face value. The medium has therefore exchanged roles with the painting – for it is the medium that communicates an idea and the painting that becomes an object.
So, this is ‘where I’m at,’ as it were. But I believe that this breakthrough acts as a precursor to something grander, with more emphasis on the notion that memory and connotation can be appropriated as a consumable product.
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