The latest offering from the GOOPof7 at the Naess Gallery.
Artist Statement
Language is a system of conventional rules and understanding that allow written and verbal communication between beings. Because of these systems, people are able to share and discuss how we interpret the world around us. We use written, visual, verbal, and many other means of communication to send and receive messages, with each one carrying their own set of rules and effectiveness. It becomes an art to know what form is most effective for the task at hand. Like other creative forms of work, language cannot be taken just at face value to fully understand the ideas being communicated.
In the English language, words carry a limited amount of information and usually come in varieties of nouns, verbs, modifiers, and connectors. It is only once these words are strung together in a sentence, that a message can be formed. These sentences use a structure that has been developed and finessed for millennia, and have nuances and subtleties that can take a lifetime to fully understand and appreciate. This in itself creates a many layered code, full of dynamism and character.
Visual art is a language that precedes formalized written communications. Artists use this medium to convey a message or story, whether it is directly referenced or through layers of subtext. Viewers of contemporary art are tasked by the artist to experience the artwork and come up with their own interpretation of the message. Hints towards the connotation and the artist’s experiences can be found in the show title or the title of work, but it is still ultimately up to the viewer to provide context to the work. The colours and shapes in the work may induce feelings that were not intended by the artist, but carry a significant importance to the viewer. This subjectivity is the beauty of art. It can be experienced by anyone, no matter their language, beliefs, or culture, a personalized message is being shared amongst the masses.
Read Between the Lines is a visual representation of how language is structured and evolves and focuses on how the viewer experiences artwork, both from a single piece to a fully curated show. Each work can be a standalone representation of an artist’s message, but when shown in structured groupings, a deeper interaction and discussion begins to arise.
The GOOPof7 has been together for over six years and it is evident that the artists within the group take inspiration from their fellow members; creating subtle homages of that other’s style. These connections are made on a subconscious level and evidence that there is a GOOP language developing. Under the painted layers and media, there is a nuance and connotation, and that Read Between the Lines provides a richer narrative than a single word, or work in this case, could ever describe.
