Tracking Consciousness
The world as we know it has changed so much in the last 20 years. The technological advancements we expected have for the most part come to pass, and we are living in a highly charged world where the search for meaning has become extremely elusive. Those looking for personal meaning cannot help but become mired in the complexities of contemporary society, which has become thoroughly enmeshed in systems of communication, politics, and issues relating to ethnic and sexual conflict that distract us from the greater importance of our lives.
In 2020 we are facing the most profound challenges to our existence. Coronavirus has affected every aspect of our lives. With culture supposedly frozen in order to slow the surge in virus cases, how does consciousness develop? We are now more self-conscious of who and what we are than we ever were before. Our newfound stasis has produced a circumstance perfect for the reevaluation of the concept of consciousness. Dee Solin has chosen this interval as an opportunity to address these conditions in her art. Her new series “Exploring Consciousness” represents a full statement towards addressing ultimate meaning in this era of crisis. Each work in this series utilizes three basic elements: a central sphere; a square area surrounding and subsuming it; and a mass of swirling, ideogrammatic, interconnected glyphs that permeate the other forms. The dynamic between the forms is commingled with her use of color to create a series of alternating contrasts. The structure of these paintings may appear overtly simple, but it’s within the context of appearances that complexities emerge. The circle within a square that each painting presents is a symbol of the dualistic nature of existence, presenting both inner and outer selves, inner not necessarily being more private but ultimately a deeper, more primal self.
The circle is the “Vita Activa” where urges that fulfill needs for survival exist. The urge to fight or to procreate are the best known among these. In contemporary terms, we can think of them as our need for fulfillment in physiological terms, that in turn, take on our need to succeed in any endeavor, to beat out any competitor, and to gain the prize that is offered, whether that is money, fame, or the passionate attention of a love interest. Language resides in this space as verbalized justifications for the satisfaction of deep-seated needs, and as a tool toward their achievement. Once such needs are fulfilled, language ceases to be equally necessary. Such is perhaps the case in addressing the appeal of an art work, which is first visual, then at least suggestively tactile, and finally it is metaphorically dimensional, expanding beyond mere form into a meaning that each person can take as their own. This is the artist’s gift to the world.
Essay by David Gibson