Indiana Grace
SCECGS Redlands
CONNECTION
Drawing
Digital drawing on Ilford smooth cotton rag paper
The internet was an escape from reality, but now reality is an escape from the internet. Connection explores the erosion of social connection in a world where smartphones have become all-pervasive. Through my body of work I confront audiences and challenge their endless appetite for digital immersion. My monochromatic digital drawings represent distracted inner-city dwellers detached from their surroundings. My intent is for my work to show digital connectivity as an addiction, to signal a demand that we defend the autonomy of our attention.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists and works: Olga Makarchuk, The Attention Economy; Yu Hong, One Hundred Years of Repose.
Marker's Commentary
Connection is a series of sophisticated hyper realistic digital drawings that comment on the undermining effect technology can have on relationships. Each of the figures are caught in a snapshot, hypnotised by a variety of digital devices. This body of work draws us into a world where human interaction is compromised as each figure is consumed by technology. There is an elaborate and confident use of drawing conventions successfully embedded in each artwork. Each realistic image is carefully composed, creating a stillness, as each person is lost in the technology. The audience are captivated by the evocative drawing and linger longer with each image. The irony of creating this work on a device and being digitally printed reiterates further the ideas being presented. Conceptually this work mimics approaches of Chuck Close and Audrey Flack, using familiar objects to explore social commentary on everyday experiences in a technologically driven world.