Duality-2015

My current artistic practice is engaging with chance to create organic images using experimental drawing techniques. I see the experimental drawings reflecting the uncertainties in life that affects us all, quite unique, often deeply seated and difficult to explain and accept. These uncertainties are like hidden and random difficult images which are present and unpredictable as if they are traces of some corporeal body pressed into the paper. The use of black ink frozen in ice blocks serves to hide underlying truths. The glossy surface of the melting ice hides the melange of colours of blue, red, brown, yellow and gold which are present within the black mixture as if hiding the various layers of life. The external image, the black ink, is of smooth perfection and yet the unseen underside is made up of hidden chances and unexpected images. In the work there is almost a sense of hidden violence which is potentially evident in the vivid and deep dark blue found amongst the colours of the dried residues of the experimental drawing, which may be a reflection of the violence experienced deep in life. The traces of yellow and gold present in the drawings remind me of the fleeting nature of sunlight.

My previous works were large scale site specific installations using industrial materials e.g. paints and plastic insulating tapes, frequently temporary and referencing the architectural features of the exhibition spaces, made up of lines and geometric shapes, black and white colours, with a simplicity of form which includes repetitions. The works reference the historical practices of Minimalism, including the use of industrial materials, absence of figurative forms, repeated use of line, square or rectangular formats without any added ornamentation. The floor and walls of the space become an integral part of the non-figurative works, which are based on the human scale creating sculptural images from two dimensional drawings.

The earliest work was grounded in abstract sculpture and used steel, wood and found objects. There was a conceptual element in the work which has continued throughout my practice.

Philosophies from key writers are there to support the practice and the underlying narratives contained within the works. The selection of theorists is dynamic referencing the work being produced. Theorists are an essential element in the process of both the practice and theory, fully intertwined and of equal importance. Art facilitates engaging with these concepts to develop an additional language to express what I see as an artist.

M Halpin