My latest work signifies something of a breakthrough in terms of what a jar of paint can depict: An intelligible degree of subjection is instantly attached to the contents of each jar. They no longer represent paint; they represent the essence of paint.
The properties of food have still been exploited in order to achieve the paint. But rather than describing the face value of the paint, labels have been attached that describe metaphorical and experiential attachment to the paint, based on the paint’s properties. For example, the label ‘Home’ is attached to paint made from tea. This is because the concept of a cup of tea contains within it connotations associated with the experience of being home.
The jar of paint is now able to communicate the notion that memory has an intrinsic and complex correspondence to the food we consume, and that preconception dictates our preference to food.
A notable juxtaposition is that, inherently, what I have created are still essentially jars of paint – meaning that they can be consumed, exchanged, revered and dismissed in the same way all products can. The notion of memory-based subjection and individual regard becomes restated as a consumable item.
I have also applied each paint to a surface in equal rectangular strips behind the corresponding jar. The nature of applying paint in this way seeks to remove subjection and seeks to regard application of paint as a reference – a tool which one can use to ascertain the nature and density of the paint at face value. The medium has therefore exchanged roles with the painting – for it is the medium that communicates an idea and the painting that becomes an object.
Yesterday I endured the acquaintance of an extremely heavy, cumbersome and joyless piece of apparatus commonly known as a ‘camera.’ As some of you know, I have been asked to produce over twenty images of jars of home-made paint for a forthcoming exhibition at Forum Cafe, Sheffield. Whilst I am delighted at this prospect, it has also enabled me to ponder the virtue of photography as a means to communicate.
I have been using photography as a means to document for years now. The pictures I take are never deemed the actual work. They are used to share and promote my work with an audience, and to exchange ideas and correspond with other artists. They are also useful personally, to compare and analyse your own work in context. Until now, I have not used photography in order to communicate my ideas directly.
You can see this work at Forum Cafe, Sheffield, From August 12th until September 23rd. You can find more details here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/535504756517109/
For the past two weeks I have attempted to begin and complete one painting a day, ad so far, I am ecstatic to report that such attempts have been successful.
The initial reason for undertaking such a feat was simply attain a sense of solidarity and rhythm to my practice. But then it hit me that the very process of completing one painting a day comes with its own set of challenges which perhaps can be attached to a concept. It emerged that parallels existed between this energetic, hurried yet somehow hollow approach to making work and the processes involved in preparing and eating lunch: And so lunch, and the concepts that exist within lunch, have ultimately been attached to this particular strand of my practice.
Lunch is seemingly a diminished meal, it can consist of anything, and it has no definition, no identity and no authority. It can exist virtually any time in the afternoon and often exists whilst at a place of work. It is devoured over a desk, in the formal and contrived environment of a staff room, or purchased from an outlet and guzzled down on the move. Lunch has no lasting joy, but is penetrating within its own time frame.
This rushed experience of lunch is reflected and exploited in my work, whereby I have depicted the lunch I have eaten that day within the time it took to eat it: Therefore, captured in my ‘one painting a day’ is a superficial sense of vibrancy, without definition or authority. Brush-strokes contain energy without quality. Form is not fully realised and addresses the social disregard for lunch, relative to other meal times.
I have placed these works on my timeline on my facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BorkowskyArtist . This serves to further reflect the temporary and disposable nature of lunch: Timeline posts appear in news feeds instantly; they explode onto the screen and are readily accessible. However, the passing of time sees my post disappear from immediate regard – incessantly shifted into obscurity and replaced by new posts, from other individuals, all of which are interchangeable and often concern disposable social themes.
So, think of my ‘one painting a day’ images the next time you attempt to gobble down your lunch whilst trying to brave the elements. And enjoy the penetrating yet fleeting burst of joy lunch time has to offer.
