Ineffable Vessels of Insatiable Release (2022)




In the project, Ineffeable Vessels of Insatiable Release (2022), I complicate bodily recognition by examining the presence of light within the intermediary space between liquid and solid. Enamored with camouflage, I highlight the indescribable eroticism of physical touch as translucent, glass-like figures traverse and melt through water. By democratizing sensation beyond the body, I create 3D renderings as sketches and consequently put them in conversation with traditional oil painting techniques, such as grisaille and glazing, and camera-less cyanotype processes. By putting parts of my practice in competition with one another, I create a dichotomy between exquisitely modeled and brutalized spaces to further obscure the viewer's perception of form and formlessness through light.

In prioritizing light over color, I emphasize the extremities of value through assorted grayscale and limited color palettes, guiding the subtly of indirect color mixing, paint application, and light exposure. As a result, I create broad ranges of legibility through seductive entrances and repellent exits to lure and displace the viewer and their bodily awareness in relation to my work. By resisting formulaic readings, such as who, what, and where, I go beyond the semantics of a 'pretty image' and instead utilize beauty as a complex mediation between torture and pleasure.






All image and text rights reserved to Bill Mattern.
Do not reproduce without written consent.