ARTIST INFORMATION
Max Barnes
The exploration of art within an Archaeological and philosophical context has been the dominating issue of my recent work.
An adopted process of painting blindly has proved to be a liberating one. Building up layers of media in several steps dictates an end result. The materials are allowed to take over. They reveal, uncover, hide and mask the subject. They capture and document the sensitive, intimate, vulnerable or perhaps intrusive and intimidating moments of discovery. In Taoism the principle of ‘Wu Wei‘ or ‘Doing without doing’ states;?‘Things just happen in the right way at the right time. At least they do when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, “this isn’t supposed to be happening this way,” and trying hard to make it happen some other way…. the principle can work negatively or positively. It can promote cynicism as easily as it can promote hope.’?(The Tao Of Pooh. Benjamin Hoff) With relation to the viewer, these mixed outcomes grow to become important in showing the two sides to discovery.
Recently the use of red and black has had a strong and powerful influence on my work. I have been exploring the character of two colours that have great connotations towards good or bad, happy or sad, love and anger or indeed on a simpler more Taoist level, yin and yang. Their potency and how they both seem to remain neutral in their allegiance fascinate me.
WHAT IS ART BUFFET 