ARTIST STATEMENT

From antiquity to the present day, the myth of Medusa has long been associated with issues related to sexuality, gender and mortality. She features heavily in modern literature, has been used for the logo of the Versace fashion brand and in recent times has become a feminist icon symbolising female rage and hostility toward men. This inspired me to create a painting that held within its composition a ‘Medusa like’, effect. Pixelation seemed the perfect graphic device to visually achieve an ‘aha!’ moment. Bitmaps have become ubiquitous in our computer driven society and they enable one to carefully control the level of abstraction, resulting in a piece that responds to both the audience and the space in which it is hung. At close range the artwork appears to be a hard edged abstract painting, however, when viewed from a distance, it is clearly a naked figure. How one responds to this micro event is entirely dependent upon an individuals life experience. At the moment of realisation an emotional response is triggered. Whether someone sees the work as a social comment on the seductive forces of computer technologies or as a part of a long line of figurative paintings. It is the emotional engagement with the work that interests me, illustrating the complex nature of the subject/object relationship. Some may respond positively to the work, whilst others may be ‘turned to stone’, being emotionally challenged by the appearance of a life size naked figure.