Artist-Placed Document No. 1
This piece may be seen as blending a theory of institutional inscription or
overwriting—where our systems overwrite dissenting voices—and a theory of
reclaiming, in which, in this piece, the artist re-inscribes in order to recontextualize
his own prior activist dissent. Visually, the layered and painted documents blur the
line between record and erasure, turning language into a textured surface that
seems to resist clarity. What at first appears minimal may reveal, however, upon
close reading, a tension between asemic mark-making and legible character
formatting. Here, handwriting and legal form seem to interrupt one another. The
piece may ask what happens when speech is covered, but never fully removed--
what happens when institutions absorb advocacy but only archive it, without ruling
on it. Somatically, the viewer is invited to lean in, squinting to decipher the layers of
handwriting over printed text. Emotionally, the work may evoke feelings related to
attempts to remain legible—relevant—in the public structures of today. Art history
references of Glenn Ligon’s blurred text and Jenny Holzer’s Redaction Paintings
may be seen, as well as influences from Cy Twombly and, indirectly, Mark
Bradford’s layered abstractions. By perhaps resonating not just in the head, but
also in the body and heart, this piece may be a possible example of post-theory art
in the context of text-based art and activist art.
This piece may be seen as blending a theory of institutional inscription or
overwriting—where our systems overwrite dissenting voices—and a theory of
reclaiming, in which, in this piece, the artist re-inscribes in order to recontextualize
his own prior activist dissent. Visually, the layered and painted documents blur the
line between record and erasure, turning language into a textured surface that
seems to resist clarity. What at first appears minimal may reveal, however, upon
close reading, a tension between asemic mark-making and legible character
formatting. Here, handwriting and legal form seem to interrupt one another. The
piece may ask what happens when speech is covered, but never fully removed--
what happens when institutions absorb advocacy but only archive it, without ruling
on it. Somatically, the viewer is invited to lean in, squinting to decipher the layers of
handwriting over printed text. Emotionally, the work may evoke feelings related to
attempts to remain legible—relevant—in the public structures of today. Art history
references of Glenn Ligon’s blurred text and Jenny Holzer’s Redaction Paintings
may be seen, as well as influences from Cy Twombly and, indirectly, Mark
Bradford’s layered abstractions. By perhaps resonating not just in the head, but
also in the body and heart, this piece may be a possible example of post-theory art
in the context of text-based art and activist art.
