Michele Foyer
My abstract paintings consider philosophical ideas of perception, aesthetics and representation. They emphasize the fragile –even delirious – attempt of any form to adequately contain a reality. At stake is a new definition of what it means “to abstract.” Here “to abstract” means “to construct”, “to build” and “to invent” and not “to subtract” or “to purify” from a pre -existing representational register.
Objects – whether they are things or ideas – are often formed of incongruous strata or aggregates composed of disjunctive spaces and sometimes even teetering times. I build the paintings the way a city arises in a layering process over time --- a topographical crazy quilt that insists on somewhat random diverse collisions and grafts.
Color is central to the work – always a sensate experience, an actual physical vibration that communicates more than the “merely optical.” Fluorescent or neon colors emphasize the man-made or constructed world, evoking the traffic lights of a world ruled by constant movement. Often synthetic and luminous colors in combination with the dirty and gritty colors of the city underscores the construction of experience through mixture and encounter, an intentional contrast to the given of nature’s color.
For more information about the artist, please visit her website.