Tristan Chant

Superpicture

As human interaction continues to converge online, our relationship to pictures in modern communication has become increasingly complex. As images proliferate and merge in the virtual world, the original context and meaning for which they were created becomes less apparent. The decentralisation and expendable nature of this process has been perpetrated predominantly by media, advertising and technology companies as a means to reduce the value of images to carry out their business. For the individual, this has led to confusion about authorship, artistic merit and usefulness of images in creating meaningful narratives.
 
The works in Superpicture follow the Dadaist tradition of images quoting other images. Beyond the broad relationship between images and art, they examine authorship and originality through the juxtaposition of found images appropriated from both high culture (art and history books), low culture (adult magazines, comics, tabloids), and the mobility of photography in art production. Developed from paper collages extracted from their source material, the works intend to challenge the viewer’s position on both context and consumption, encouraging them to identify new narratives, emotional or symbolic meanings of their own. Through their materiality they displace the temporal nature of printed and digital media through the creation of cultural artefacts.

13 May - 11 June, 2023

Wangaratta Art Gallery
56 Ovens Street
Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia

Download exhibition catalogue (PDF)