Zachariah Fenn
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Womb
Acrylic and vinyl on glass. 280 x 180cm
Time-lapse and video performance.
‘Womb’ was created during a 3-week residency in the Fishbowl Project Space at COFA in September-October, 2013.
The project combines painting, performance and installation to create a site-specific public work that is as much concerned with the process of painting as it is about the finished product. I explored the ancient Chinese painting technique of ‘nèihuà’, or ‘Inner Painting’ where the inside of small glass vessels are painted in reverse. I have reconceptualised this technique in a contemporary manner on a large scale. I was fascinated by the tension and dialogue created between interior and exterior as I was painting because of the thick glass window separating me from any verbal interaction with passers-by. Though I was on display for all to see, communication was reduced to a scattering of awkward glances, smiles and nods. As the painting progressed and more layers were applied to cover the expanse of the glass window, my sense of isolation further grew, until there was no visible relationship between the inside and outside.
The crouched figure, naked and vulnerable was a response to the context of the space itself and its surrounds. Facing onto the COFA courtyard this exhibition space gets plenty of exposure to the public and highlighted my own vulnerability – subject to peoples criticisms or encouragements. Further, the work is a comment on social isolation and introversion – in our contemporary society of social networking and online interaction, it is anomalous that we have never felt so alone.
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