Artists Statement...

‘It is in the hollowness that the work itself is manifest in its projection and definition of space outside of itself’.
Aron Davis – What You See is What You See


To attempt to make apparent ‘space outside itself’ is integral to the investigative intention that my work poses. By definition, space can mean various different things in different circumstances – the blank area between type and print or the three dimensional expanse where all matter and objects exist. When looking at these forms, and by questioning the distinction of real space versus literal space, what I have done is sought to use and alter the space of the studio and any other given space that I find myself looking at. Through an investigation of this I have found myself becoming very aware of not only space, but also shape – by cutting out or ‘releasing’ the space from its original context, a shape is formed. Intervention of either pre-existing images or latterly intervention into the studio space enabled me to make seeing the space in-between possible.

The progression of an unfolding enquiry is evident when looking through the documentation – specifically looking at the first two images in comparison to the last two images. At the outset of this practice concentration was focused on literal space, spaces within images on pre-existing found postcards. Here is was where the first links between space and shape were realised. The imprint of these spaces became abstracted from the original and taken forth to be experimented with through repetition, pattern making and grid making. The move from literal space to real space came when looking at light and shadows and the interplay between the two (as shown in the documentation). Most recent work installed in the studio space which intervenes with the amount of light that is allowed into the studio, captures what I intended to achieve by making one aware of the space and most especially the architecture and structure of the space – the lines and shapes echoing the ones of the windows. Materials I chose (paper) were all relatively simple and of minimal colour; after all the reaction I wanted was to the edges, the in-between and the tension of the space around the shapes.

At the outset the work of Richard Tuttle was highly influential with his treatment of line and shape, layering and use of strong, almost silhouetted shapes edging me towards abstraction in my own practice. In regards to the notion on intervention and inhabiting a real space, two exhibitions – Pipilotti Rist at the Hayward Galley, and Kitty Kraus at White Cube were essential to the formulation of my thinking and actions. The use of light play coupled with transparency of materials really led one to become really aware of the ‘definition of the space outside of itself’, much like the work I have ended up producing.