Chris Spinelli
Inbred
Digital print on Arches cold pressed paper with hand additions in watercolor, ink, coffee
20 x 15 inches
Edition of 22 unique, signed works
$300 (Price includes packing and shipping within the United States.)
Artist Statement: The "Inbred" prints are digital composites of drawings from an ongoing project called "A Continuous Wave". To create the drawings I key blocks of text from personal letters into Morse Code translators I find on the Web and copy the dot dash sequence onto sheets of paper. I repeat the same paragraph multiple times until the paper surface is nearly obliterated, adding materials (paint, coffee) to modify and selectively seal sections of the drawing.
"Inbred" takes this process a step further. I scan the hand-drawn code and send it back to the computer; in this virtual space I rearrange and reconfigure the markings to build new geometric compositions. Since I often find myself enjoying uncritically their formalist pleasures, I try to summon up vague feelings of mistrust and suspicion to undermine my contentment. This usually fails. When the time comes for hand additions I move between minor and major alterations to the inkjet printed surface — sometimes the alteration is like a caress, other times a slap. It all depends on my mood.
Chris Spinelli received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and a BA from Oberlin College in Ohio. His work has been exhibited at venues such as Spark Contemporary Art Space, Syracuse, NY; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; Pool Art Center, Drury University, Springfield, MO and HQ, Jack the Pelican, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, and Richard Anderson in New York City. His videos have screened at numerous festivals including Outfest, London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, MIX NYC, Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival and documenta 12 magazines. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
More information about the artist:
www.christopherspinelli.com