Robert Sumner – Atheseoldnilite

Description

Artist Statement

My work explores the synesthetic, non-verbal communicative power that the visual arts share with the performing arts, especially music.
Music and dance have clear analogs in the visual arts: rhythm, repetition, improvisation, melody, harmony,and even syncopation. The addition of color, texture, transparency, opacity, and the passing of time physically captured in visual media creates a visual matrix that is both open to what the viewer brings with
them and suggestive enough to support a visual dialogue at a pre- and non-discursive level that is simultaneously more fundamental and more expansive than simple verbal communication. The writings of Henri Bergson and others explore the limitations of verbal communication, highlighting a rich vein of human experience to explore beyond those limits.One final note in light of the coordinated rise of fascist tendencies across the globe over the past several years: abstract art – particularly abstract art that draws upon forward thinking ideas, that aspires to
provide an opening to the understanding and appreciation of beauty and a richer life experience, that engages the viewer in a way that allows them to think about and respond to art in new and unique ways –is inherently anti-fascist. History has repeatedly shown us that fascist actors extinguish intellectual endeavors, exile or eliminate those at the forefront of cultural and intellectual movements, and destroy art objects that do not conform to the propagandistic dictates of fascist power centers. As such, creating abstract art becomes an affirmative statement of the values fundamental to full human experience, such as the pursuit of joy, the appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture, and the liberty of individuals to
think, move, and act freely.
**A Note on Titles: In line with my objective of creating open visual matrices that engender a dialogue with the viewer, my titles are built from random syllables pulled from James Joyce’s work with a similarobjective, Finnegans Wake

Artist Biography

I am largely self-taught after being forced out of the 4th year of my BFA program when the university I was attending realized I was gay. Returning to school a few years later I made a practical choice to pursue degrees in business in order to better support my art practice. I developed, proposed, and completed an interdisciplinary degree in Arts Administration at Old Dominion University after which I completed the MBA program at UC Davis. I am now creating art full time, residing in Portland, OR. My practice consists of painting and printmaking, exhibiting locally, nationally, and internationally.