PAINTINGS SERIES1: IMAGE/WORD
IMAGE/WORD
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION:
What is the nature of communication? On what levels is the presentation and absorption of information processed. What are the prescribed roles of visual image vs. written language as pertains to communication.
This series of paintings explores the universality, accessibility and immediacy of image and underscores the challenges in communication presented by written language. Though, not all symbols and images are known to all people, perhaps there does exist enough of a universally shared familiarity with images that makes them more relatable then the words of any one particular written language that may be used to explain them. These works developed from my experiences living in Korea and viewing daily store-font signage that presented both a recognizable image along with language that I could not read. In this series of paintings, the written words of these appropriated window displays have been intentionally obscured to the point of either being completely indecipherable or at least difficult at best to recognize thus compelling the viewer to rely on the image presented for understanding. And while the exact meaning and intent of the images presented in this series might not, as a result, be fully understood upon viewing, sufficient associations to the images can be made.
