Jade Gilbert

Artist statement

I initially start with the question of how much I can ‘work’ a surface. All the works display a multiplicity of marks (scratching, piercing or drawing) which result in surfaces resonant with the prolonged activity of their own deconstruction. I stop working on the paper when it achieves a state of fragility whereby its coherent form would be under threat if subjected to further marks.

The works share a concern with the existence and possible non-existence of objects, with each piece displaying a material narrative of making/unmaking. The process allows the work to be visually and imaginatively ‘rewound’, bringing with it an awareness that a part is missing, identifying a loss.