Echoes I & Echoes II
Silent Object IV
Echoes III
Maria Bjorkdahl
Artist Statement
I make paintings out of manipulated cotton duck by folding, sewing, cutting, unraveling and reassembling the canvas fabric. I use a needle to unravel the cotton duck threads and re-seal them using acrylic medium to create biomorphic shapes. Once I’m finished working the canvas substrate, I add thin washes using a limited palette of 4-6 pigments.
My work is driven by ideas about liminality and objecthood, inspired by studies in cultural anthropology and an interest in existential philosophy. I’m less interested in the image of a painting preferring its objectness. I find that the two aspects are intimately tied together; making for a fascinating journey working the tug between the image and the object.