paintings & drawings
Moments In The System
The Mission
Houston, TX
Moments in the System explores the implications of preexisting images, their role in mass communication and processes of standardization, and how the repetition of images supports or upturns the status of originals. Exploring the visual language of contemporary culture, Adam Gondek presents two new series of paintings and drawings that incorporate collected and appropriated advertisements for consumer products from the iconic American magazine, LIFE. In the paintings, many thin layers of paint of varying opacity are applied to the surface of advertisements using a brush, knife, roller or by hand. The images fade into a ghostly haze and occasionally assert themselves more boldly toward the surface. Gondek uses a similar technique in his new drawings. Layers of graphite are applied to the surface of advertisements in a controlled but chaotic manner, creating a veil of subtle line patterns over the image.