Land scape
Carol Elkovich
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
captivating. While walking our readers through the genesis of Viral Theories, would you shed light to your main source of inspirations?
I’ m glad you recognize the dichotomy and appreciate the visual tension I strive for. In the studio, laborious processes are something of a hallmark and almost a kind of meditation for me. The Viral Theories pieces are made from applying multiple layers of color, marks, and glazes to individual elements. Each installation is the culmination of hundreds of those elements. This laborious attention to detail requires patience and for me the intense focus can actually be relaxing; it’ s a process that contrasts sharply with the somewhat frenzied multi-tasking of modern life. The generative impetus in Viral Theories has direct relationship to Rhizomatic Theory, the notion of decentralized systems and how they manifest in natural and human-made structures. Rhizomes grow from networks of multiple nodes and without a singular, linear path. This nonhierarchical structure is fascinating. When observing pattern-languages in either natural and cultural constructs— from viruses, proteins, insect swarms, to brain waves, power grids, social networks, or the Internet— it is surprising how these differing instances bear striking resemblance in structure and visual complexity. I believe data maps of phenomena are the primary abstractions of our time. Perhaps the precursor to this can be seen in Renaissance era fascinations with the