Crush
Artist statement
This new body of work explores the emotional turmoil that often accompanies affairs of the heart. This represents a departure for me, as most of my previous work focuses on abstract visual imagery, with no premeditated theme. To get into something with a distinct theme offered me an opportunity to explore a new direction in both objective and technique.
The majority of my work until now has been colorful abstract paintings. I have also worked extensively in abstract welded steel sculptures. This new work, presented as neither paintings nor sculptures, brings together elements of both previous media.
I feel I couldn't have possibly dived into black and white if I had not explored color so passionately for so many years. The cold, metallic imagery and the sense of 3D space that emerges are both certainly influenced by my previous work in abstract sculpture. Finally, I feel that my earlier writings (in Brazil) may have helped me bring a sense of poetry to this work.
This whole idea started with me taking photographs of non-descriptive, out of context semi-abstracts objects (with the exception of the rose). They were then printed on transparent film and mounted on fiberglass and resin boxes. Looking at these boxes (my “studies" for this new series) I had a desire to simplify them as much as possible. At the same time, I wanted to imbue them with a sense of emotional turmoil, my thematic
pursuit. So I challenged myself to be able to extract emotion from these very cold objects.
First I selected a few of the objects (out of 25 studies) and then I further refined that selection to particular details of the objects. I used blown-up versions of some details that I felt expressed each motional state. There were certain feelings
I wanted o express through the series of eight pieces entitled: Crush, Lust, Ache, Crave, Languish, Discord,
Estranged, and Release.
They are archival pigment prints on canvas mounted on wood panels and covered with resin.
Silvia Poloto - June 2006