August_ Statement on Work.pdf -

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Anthony Reamer Fall 2020 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Statement on Continuing Work and Projects I developed a sentimentality towards artifacts and images from the past because of the antique stores, victorian houses, and massive Catholic churches in my hometown Stillwater, Minnesota. There is a certain preservation of history the city relies on to push a streamlined narrative of what’s happened here. However, when symbols and events in physical space begin to form patterns, places seem to come alive as if they are trying to explain something else. My work uses a combination of research, public installation, and studio art to reframe the perception of images, objects, stories, and problems in public space. My studio works camouflage and recontextualize found objects and images from public space to form hidden narratives they may have inherently. I am very interested by the prevalence of occult and mythological imagery in architecture and public images. Because of this, my images often depict surreal line based figurative abstractions similar to stained glass windows and reference esoteric and metaphysical ideas. I am attracted to working with public space because it is an unconventional way for viewers to encounter work. Out of place objects, images, and ideas in public space ​can also present themselves as problems to solve, instead of artworks explicitly. This medial approach of presentation allows the public interaction with the work to become a part of the work itself. Some of my work in public space has included creating a small scale social enterprise to distribute art in public space in the form of painted jackets, recontextualizing advertisements through billboard liberation, and site-specific streets paintings that work with the readymade lines and forms of the painted surface. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of public space has become more complex. Because of this, some of the ideas I’m considering while making work right now include questions about ethical use of public space and how cyberspace, art markets, and physical space interact.