Ana Swait
Blue Mountains Grammar School
MUNDANE REVERENCE
Printmaking
Copper plate etching, pen on paper
Mundane Reverence examines our existence within a world that can feel overwhelming, disconnected and chaotic, constantly demanding our attention and time. In my body of work the landscapes of a nonsensical, fantastical world are overbearing while simultaneously crumbling and decaying. Inspired by traditional architecture and depictions of the sublime as well as modern infrastructure, my work communicates the persistence of an overpowering presence in our lives that transcends the boundaries of time. Fragments of everyday mundanity represented within these landscapes are elevated by the intaglio prints, conveying the solace found in the simple and mundane within the chaos around us.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Hayao Miyazaki, Shaun Tan, JMW Turner, Annibale Siconolfi.
Marker's Commentary
Over a series of highly resolved intaglio prints, Mundane Reverence plays with the uncanny relationship between objects in unfamiliar contexts. The work pays homage to Surrealist imagery and the enigmatic compositions of M.C. Escher as the larger compositions negotiate complex spatial relationships through a multiplicity of viewpoints and engaging shifts in scale. A series of smaller works contrast the dynamism of the larger works, presenting moments of quiet contemplation through tightly cropped environmental views and isolated objects. Overall, the works sustain interest through a complex reading which begs the audience to question ideas of reality over illusion, signified by elements such as the rust stains overlapping the image and the hand pulling back the curtain.
Strong technical skill is evident in the remarkable control of intaglio printmaking techniques, such as the diverse range of mark making and intricate incising of the plates. This combined with an assured printing technique and subtle hints of colour to imbue a sense of nostalgia completes a provocative work which elaborates and sustains a concept on a number of levels.