Kate Friedman

Dark Matter 14C / Layered Map
prismacolor, laserprint, ink on vellum
24 x 24 in.

Astronomy speaks of “dark matter” as the material of the universe that is not directly observable. Although the presence of dark matter is inferred from the motion of galaxies, its exact form is controversial. As a metaphor, dark matter is a force that is powerful, yet unseen, mysterious, and unmeasurable – except by the influence it exerts on everything around it.

These works are part of an ongoing Dark Matter series which explore that metaphor. The paintings display a dense material presence and its effects in the physical world through the dynamic forces of gravity, flow, shear, and turbulence. The paintings simultaneously suggest immense landscapes and subatomic fields – infinite levels of chaos, destruction, possibility and evolution.

For the works on paper, I began to explore the irregular topography of my paintings using digital photography, image manipulation and large scale laser printing. These digital by-products are analytical maps of the original work. Laserprinted on vellum at the full original size of the paintings, they reveal elements of the paintings which are not immediately visible to the naked eye. The prints reference the original creation, but employ mechanical processes to capture, dematerialize and extend the reach of the original. Drawing on the prints with ink, graphite and colored pencil, and extending them with vellum overlays, the new work speaks of order, beauty and pattern – unlike, yet intimately evolved from the dark paintings.

© Kate Friedman