Flying the flag for College
03 Aug 2023
The latest artwork to join the CCOBA collection is quintessentially Christ’s College.
By Hugo Koha Lindsay, the painting exemplifies a new practice the award-winning artist has been developing.
Carrying the unassuming title of ‘Document painting with figures and notations (2023)’, the work is a black and white striped quasi-flag construction canvas painting. It is 1400mm x 1900mm and uses graphite compound, and acrylic polymer on cotton duck.
The stripes are made of sections of a single black painting that have been rubbed and scored to give an uneven effect then cut up and reformed, Hugo says.
“There are marks visible across each stripe in the painting's surface, as though they are scratched or painted remnants of old pieces of writing, or marks perhaps made through paper that has been written on, on top of the canvas.”
Hugo says these marks contribute to the ambiguity of the painting's overall meaning; a visual representation of the theme of secrecy and the tension between what is revealed and what is concealed.
“This work is an exploration of the power of language and the ways in which it can be used to construct and deconstruct meaning. By taking a familiar symbol like the stripe and recontextualising it, the painting creates a space for contemplation and reflection on the complex relationships between identity, power, and the history of representation.”
