Dislocation and Materiality

Dislocation, and Materiality is the culmination my three years of research into artists and theorists, whose work provided me with a clearer direction in my practice as a painter. My research has enabled me to become more aware of the reasons for my current approach to painting that includes: relying on my physical energy, the inherent properties in the material/paint, defining space, memory of place that suggests urban landscape and its
inhabitants.
The theories of Georges Bataille on the mark, François Jullien on the Chinese concept of lifeforce, and Theodor Adorno on how dissonance is central to artistic and aesthetic process have fed the development of my creative practice. The key artists I researched –Anselm Kiefer,
Julie Mehretu, Fabienne Verdier, Mark Bradford, and Phyllida Barlow – provided me with new concepts to introduce in my own work. Mehretu's paintings supplied me with the solution for incorporating political content by means of suggestive titles and expressive marking over imagery. Kiefer's rich assortment of media led me to understand how materials contribute to
the meaning of a work. Verdier's gesture and physical energy encouraged me to let go of control and embrace expressionistic paint application. How Mark Bradford uses found brochures and posters from his neighbourhood, transforming them into material for his work gave me the insight that meaning can be in the actual materials. Phyllida Barlow's dynamic
works made me consider how the different kinds of marks I create carry vitality and ideas communicated by the material properties of the paint.

The thesis available is a redacted version due to copyright restrictions.