Andres Manniste

PHASIS

My recent work expresses the nature of visual ambiguity both literally and metaphorically by working with images of pagan and religious symbolism through electronic and traditional methods.

With my previous projects, I manipulated found images as preparation for the works. Using the same technology, I took photographs of some of the finished paintings that were scanned enhanced and printed out for reproduction. These digitalized images were used for slides and documentation. These pictures had lost their relationship to the original cutting and pasting of source material and to the paintings. Subtle yet significant changes had occurred. I intend to express these conceptual changes through a series of painted works and a suite of prints.

On the internet, the abundant and disorganized material concerning my topic, superficially, meant nothing to me. Instead of assimilating information literally, I extracted a body of work from the appearance (the greek phasis) of electronic communication.

My prints were meant to bring the source material back to paper. after its many transformations There is text and a redefinition of the images used for the paintings. The pictures in the print series are more gestural--cut and pasted--that's all. They deal with the language of making objects - I change and re-draw them. The painting's final form comes out of the process of printmaking and the final nature of the prints are determined by the paintings.

Five key paintings use the vernacular of museum objects. They hang in all materiality; works of art on a wall for contemplation. The paintings will deal with peculiar rituals of high risk and death defying nature: Bullfighting can express courage. War gives medals for bravery. Climbing Mount Everest makes heroes. Living through the Hiroshima bombing makes you a candidate for an important interview.

My pictures are saying that, life is precious. We invent gods to deal with our fears. I want to express that fear makes us primitive. As the many religions of the world put together by people drawing with sticks in the sand, I want to say through this work, "So what, so what, so what!".