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Writingandpaintingarecloseprocessesformeandlanguageiscentraltomyworkbothasformalelementandsubjectmatter.ForoveradecadeIhavebeenmakingtextandimagebasedworkthatsynthesizesaninternalandexternalexperienceofplaceconnectingtheephemeraltotheconcrete.Visuallytheworkpullsfromconceptualartcomicscartographyandlandscapepainting.Ibeginwithverseasastartingpointofeachworkandusetheeditedtextsincreatedlandscapesconnectingthepsychologicalwiththetopographical.Symbolsofharddataagssignsbordersgeologicformsterrainplansareusedtoframesoftdatawordplaymetaphorslistsidiomsallowingimageandlanguagetocontinuouslymodifyeachother.Thesevisualshortctionstaketheformofnarrativepaintingsinstallationsmultiplesandoccasionallyperformance.TheProcessAlltheworkstartswithwritingandendswithwriting.Istartwithtextthatisprobablythemostconsistentaspectofmystudiopracticeovertheyearssittingatatypewriterandwriting.Thoselongertextsgetediteddownintotightercodedmetaphoricphrases.InthatprocessthelanguagebecomesintentionallymoregeneralandvagueandthroughthatIhopeitcansuggestmorevariedmeanings.Theviewerreaderattachestheirownspecicstoit.IfeelliketheprocessIuseismorerelatedtopoetrythanpainting.Poetryandpaintinghavealotofsimilaritiessurprisingjuxtapositionsquietpausesandthesensethatasmallgesturecanimplysomethingvast.AlsoImnotinterestedinhavingitreadasovertlyautobiographicalsoanykindofpersonalreferenceisgonebytheveryearlyversionofapiece.ThenIworkwithplacementlinebreaksandorderwhichishowthecartographicimagerycomesin.Iminterestedinsimultaneousreadingsbothvisualimage-basedandlanguage-based.BecauseofthewritingIstartedoutmakingbooksprintsmultiples.Evenwiththepaintingitsstilloftendiptychsechoingopenbookpages.ThoughtherehavebeensomechangesinmaterialsandscalesImstillalwaysthinkingaboutreadabilityandtryingtodirectthroughaworkwithbeginningmiddleandendpoints.Insomewaysthevisualimageschoiceshavemoretodowithmappingaperiodoftimethenmappingaspecicplace.Nooneinmyfamilyhasbeenbornanddiedinthesameplacegoingback3generations.AndnotjustdifferentcitiesbutondifferentcontinentsAfricaAsiaNorthAmericaandthosemovesweremadeinhasteandunderduress.ThatfamilialnarrativehasformedthewayIthinkaboutgeographicattachmentsthefeelingofbeingfromorofaplaceornoplaceandalsohowpersonalhistoriesnarrativememorytheintangiblestuffattachthemselvestophysicalrelativelyxedlocations.WorksinthisExhibitionThepiecesselectedfortheexhibitionrepresentalmostadecadeswork.TheearliestworkChronologicalShift2004isanearlyexampleofwhenusingsuggestionsofgeographicimagesstartedtodevelopwhereitsstilljustmarkmakinglinesanddotsasamethodofhousingthetext.Overthenextfewyearsthereferencestogeographiclandscapeformsbecomemorepronouncedactuallyreferencingthevisuallanguageofmapsbyusingcommoncartographicsymbolsreddotsagelevationlinesandbodiesofwater.ThevisualperspectivechangessometimesatgroundlevelOhEverythingsometimesaerialSomeHeavyIndulgencesandsometimesamoredistantsatelliteviewStartofthePre-season.AllthelandscapesareinventedbutaresometimesreferenceactuallocationssuchasColoradosRockyMountainsinThatThingThatHappenedYesterday.InthemorerecentworkthereismoreofashiftfromusingrecognizablegeographiccomponentstoaslightlymoreabstractedorreductivewayofpresentingthemwheremaybejustcertainelementsappearwithoutthecompletecontextofamapPeaksandPeaksorSeaLevels.DahliaElsayedIIIIIII