This is the sixth of ten photographs in a series I did for my first ever colour film photography class, the past fall. I have always been fascinated with graffiti, but in recent years, my taste has shifted from the spectacle of wild-style virtuosity, to the anticlimactic, and utterly unpolished look of tags. Perhaps that is because the latter is barely on display, either dripping down surfaces no one stops to look at, or hidden away, altogether, in dimly lit alleyways. The allure, there, for me, is that I associate the tag with silence (as opposed to the chaos of the downtown core, where I live).
My fascination, however, runs deeper. The idea for the series began to develop while I was reading about the idea of language in art. The work of Jackson Pollack was a major influence, not just in its appearance — which shares some similarities with the pieces in my series — but in its function. Gestural abstraction, by its very nature, is a nearly pure form of expression. It attempts to bypass the limitations of, or forced adherence to existing language, both visual and verbal. The idea of a clear connection to emotion, and a unique voice was very appealing to me, as someone who hates ambiguity.
Ironically, instead of doing some drip paintings of my own, I decided to simply document something preexisting. I would say that what I created — my art —is my voice, but that the contents of the photographs — the art of others — is my language.
Anyway, the series was completed November 27, 2013. All of the pieces were printed by me, and are 16"x20", mounted on 22"x30" backing.
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