Gracie Edwards
The Problem of Meaning
29.06.22 – 16.07.22
This series of collage works is an exploration into the conceptual relationships between found imagery, photography and loose abstract mark making. This body of work intends to investigate the idea of meaning in within collage through the merging of shapes, line, colour and found imagery.
I have used images which were pulled from an old photography development manual and some small negative sized photographs I found placed over the top, attempting to find compositional similarities so the images can feed off one another and create something new or shift the initial perspective. I have added additional mark making over the top through carbon tracing, ink and acrylic paint. Half of the mark making was formed blindly meaning I was unable to see the changes in artwork as I drew onto it, while the other half of the time I was more conscious and intentional with my movements and marking.
There is a freedom and flexibility within the works that allows the viewer to make the artworks mean whatever they want it to – or to evade meaning all together.
Where does meaning come from? Who decides on what holds meaning or doesn’t? Are there really any rules?
