THE FOUR PORTRAITS OF P WERE MADE FROM HER OWN PHOTOGRAPHS OF HERSELF. IN DISTORTING THEM, CUTTING THEM AND PAINTING THEM I RELIEVED THE BURDEN OF VOYEURISM WITH THE DISTANCE AND CONTROL OF APPROPRIATION.
MY CURRENT WORK APPEARS TO BE A LAYERING OF IMAGES AS REPRESENTATION OF IMAGES, OF IMAGES AS IDEOGRAM AND OF IMAGE AS SYNTAX, OR RATHER THER TRANSITIONAL STATES BETWEEN THEM.
AN ILLUSTRATED FAIRY TALE CAN BE SEEN AS TWO CO EXISTING ENTITIES; THE ONE A SEQUENTIAL DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS, WITH UNDERLYING HISTORICAL, MORAL AND PSYCHO SEXUAL SUBSTRATES. THE OTHER IS SERIES OF IMAGES, WHICH WHILE THEY ARE INITIALLY TIED TO A SUCCESSION OF EVENTS, BECOME NON SEQUENTIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL APEXES.
DEFILEMENT, EXCITATION, SUBVERSION, CONTROL, LOSS, HUMILIATION, DELIRIUM. THE TEXT IS FORGOTTEN, THE MEMORY OF IMAGES PERSISTS. IT IS NO LONGER A REDUCTIVE REPRESENTATION OF THE STORY, BUT A STAGE SET FOR WHAT MIGHT BE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT EXAMINATION OF THAT WHICH IT REPRESENTS. IN MY MEMORY IT BECOMES A PERSONALIZED IDEOGRAM. MARSHALL MCLUHAN ASSOCIATED PRAYER TO BE PRIMITIVE IMAGE, PROBE TO IDEOGRAM, AND PACKAGE TO ALPHABET.
WHEN I WAS A CHILD MY PARENTS MOVED FOR A FEW YEARS TO SOUTHEAST ASIA. I WAS SENT TO A TRADITIONAL CHINESE PAINTER TO LEAN OF WATERCOLOR AND INK ON RICE PAPER WITH BAMBOO BRUSHED AND SWIFT STROKES. THE MEMORIZING OF FORMS TROUBLED ME, BUT THE STRONGEST MEMORY IS OF THE SCROLLS SURROUNDING ME. WHAT WAS THE ACCOMPANYING MANDARIN TEXT AND ARTIST’S SIGNATURE STAMPS WAS TO ME INTRICATE INSECTS IN RECTILINEAR ARRAYS.
ASA BARAK
