2022 Studio Project One

Entangled (Reflection)

This painting depicts a tangled web of strings hung and reflected across a mirror. It is displayed in portrait orientation within the installation which it is based on.

 Some strings are painted realistically, where some are as blurred as the camera or eye would see up close. Some strings carelessly tangle across the canvas, where others are linear and taut. Some lines have more weight, and others have more linseed oil and vary in opacity. These contrasts create ambiguity of the lines. There is also ambiguity in what is  being reflected and what isn't. Some strings travel through the frame from the picture plane edge, but then end at the edge of the reflection on the other side, whereas others are reflected realistically. 

The mirror provides a portal into the hidden chaos. You are looking at a reflection of a specific area within the 'web', so may get the sense you are catching a glimpse of something private, or behind the scenes.

The painting is displayed, immersed within the webbed installation. You may struggle to differentiate between what is a painted string, and what is not, creating confusion between reality and the reproduction of reality, heightening the chaotic, anxiety-inducing feelings the instillation.