Saturday, March 07, 2009

CURRENCY

Currency Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm unframed

Water Rights Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm unframed

I love the way some words can have multiple nuanced meanings. The word currency for example. It has meaning with regards to the circulation of money, the legal tender for use in a particular country, whether something is is current in time, and the relevance and prevalence of ideas/words/arguments. Water has increasing 'currency' in terms of its economic importance...but I love the play with the word 'current'...as in the current or movement of water.
The two paintings above have been created by using copious amunts of sprayed, splashed and spilled water both before and after the introduction of colour. Over the top of this watery surface I have painted the 'landscape' using text and $ signs. I am intensely interested in the increasing status of water as a commodity. What does this imply in terms of its 'life' giving force?
I have deliberately created the work using water's fluidity, randomness...actual currency rather than implied currency.
Cheers,
Kathryn

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