MARY IJICHI
Artist Statement
In today's world, we often find ourselves bombarded with too much information and too few truths. We ponder how seemingly basic principles become hidden behind layers of verbosity, and how our well-honed communication skills are used to hide our truths. When our world seems too complex, such is the time when honesty feels refreshingly peaceful.
My string drawings were born from desire to spend more time thinking about our use of language and how we communicate. When I began the series, I used horizontal lines to represent illegible script. As in a page of text, the lettering was the positive space and the white background the negative. View the same text from afar and the visual information is reversed. The white bands become the positive while the lettering recedes into a speckled backdrop. I used this switch from negative to positive space to represent the confusion that often befalls when words are used to conceal.
As the work evolved, I sought to reconcile the positive and negative aspects of our ability to rationalize. While being a powerful tool to help us through our most difficult times, rationalization can also justify arguments. The horizontal lines came to represent a sense of peace in understanding the dualities of our human condition. The meditative aspects of the process ascended. Immersion in a repetitive methodology enveloped me with tranquility and a tactile impulse drew me in. Time and place seemed to disappear. It is my hope that the viewer feels a sense of calm while in the presence of my work.
My string drawings were born from desire to spend more time thinking about our use of language and how we communicate. When I began the series, I used horizontal lines to represent illegible script. As in a page of text, the lettering was the positive space and the white background the negative. View the same text from afar and the visual information is reversed. The white bands become the positive while the lettering recedes into a speckled backdrop. I used this switch from negative to positive space to represent the confusion that often befalls when words are used to conceal.
As the work evolved, I sought to reconcile the positive and negative aspects of our ability to rationalize. While being a powerful tool to help us through our most difficult times, rationalization can also justify arguments. The horizontal lines came to represent a sense of peace in understanding the dualities of our human condition. The meditative aspects of the process ascended. Immersion in a repetitive methodology enveloped me with tranquility and a tactile impulse drew me in. Time and place seemed to disappear. It is my hope that the viewer feels a sense of calm while in the presence of my work.
