Serial Works Ontologies for a Small Planet Language Material Mimesis
David Corbet
Opening Night 22 June
22 June - 2 July
This exhibition began with a simple idea - an exploration of language systems through a body of studio-based work. By 'language', we usually mean text and other symbol-based notation systems, or their spoken, sung or recorded equivalents - a 2D matrix of signification, where one thing stands for another in a fixed relationship. But if we consider material, context, performance, ritual, iteration, randomness… all the meanings re-shuffle… there is slippage. Speech, gesture and iconicity are all manifestations of the human meta-language, an ontological map hardwired into our DNA. 'Craft fetishism' may still exist, but skilled facture is only one of many possible attributes of art objects, within a fluctuating technological matrix of cultural and conceptual signals. Artworks are still made and assembled, and some seem to generate a palpable 'hum of power', but increasingly they function as expendable containers for ascribed meanings... art is just more information. We appear to be reverting to a 'pre-enlightenment' state, where art objects are mere conduits for mimetic function, commodity-fetishised into totems of mysterious potency.
The artist will be in residence, continuing to make work throughout the exhibition, so please participate.
Printmaking, photo media, time/screened base, drawing, installation
