MIKE
WHITING

Artist Statement

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I am interested in abstraction as a practical application and not so much for its art historical significance. I am interested in the simplification of image to create universal symbols; computer icons, traffic signs, warning labels etc. I am interested in the oversimplification of image, such as antiquated pixel technologies found in 8-bit Atari games or images rendered on Commodore and Apple computers. These images border on minimalism. I base my work on the simplest of these images. I'm attached to them for their minimalist qualities. Out of context they can even lose their meaning. By creating objects based on these images I exploit this effect, creating an interplay between image and object.

These works are paintings to the extent that they are about paint. My work is three-dimensional in space but only as dimensional as an exaggerated painting. They are constructed like any traditional canvas with a flat surface and ninety degree sides. Painted steel has been a tradition since the first black ford. Painted steel sculpture is tradition since modernism. I want my surfaces more accessible, more comfortable like an old truck. Their worn paint surfaces show identity. No two scratches can ever be exactly the same. Any attempt at replication would be impossible.

These works are objects to the extent that all sides are considered. The overall surface forces the viewer to consider the object. The width of the sides adds depth. The shape becomes form transforming the already abstracted image.

Postal

Electronic

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Postal

Electronic