Tessa Miller

Artist's statement

'Seeing is not always an objective activity, but a projection of what we anticipate we shall see.'

I am interested in altering the perception of the objects and surroundings we take for granted, which most of us do not have the time to see any more. The drawings pay careful attention to the ordinary, such as 'objects of desire', children's toys, landscapes glimpsed from a car, discarded fragments and detritus, which sometimes pass unnoticed by a culture obsessed by speed, transience and instant communication. The images refer to Still Life and Vanitas painting of the past by avoiding actual human presence but reflect mankind's inventions, aspirations, fears and desires.

Simple materials, for instance pencils and paper, are used to make complex images from basic everyday items. Pattern and geometry are used to alter the context of the objects and create an organised space between the real and an imagined crossover world. Through subverting the organic and altering the scale, the drawings aim to impose an order and system onto an overwhelming mass of material things. Arranging objects in blackness contradicts time and gravity, making the ephemeral permanent.

The principle aim of the work is to persuade the viewer to slow down and re-examine the ordinary things that surround us and to take pleasure from the overlooked.

CV