LOVE IN DIGITAL TIMES, paintings by Stephen Ibbott
This is Ibbott’s first solo exhibition in San Francisco.
June 30–August 1, 2009
Reception: Thursday, July 9 from 5:30 - 7:30pm
See more images by Stephen Ibbott
Among a collection of vibrant acrylic paintings on aluminum, the exhibition at Scott Richards Contemporary Art features an installation of six portraits of various couples. Entitled Love in Digital Times, this collection of works is part of an ongoing series that reflects the artists’ amazement at “the resilience of love in a world that is besieged by an unremitting flow of stereotypes.” In a digital world, overflowing with images, Ibbott’s paintings explore the place where humanity meets technology; and where the visual language of digital imaging intersects that of direct painting.
In the words of Peter Goddard (The Toronto Star, 2/25/06), “…Ibbott explores our way of seeing nature. Only he’s seeing it through the lens of cyberspace, much the way the Impressionists saw nature through the new-fangled practices found in photography…”
To create his narratives, the artist first composes his subjects digitally using figurative and landscape elements he gathers from the Internet. Often the same “pre-fab” figure group will make multiple appearances in various settings, interacting with other groups. He then creates the final painted works on aluminum through a painstaking manual stenciling process. The color is flattened and the figures themselves are left pixilated, as they would be on a screen; yet the painted surfaces are subtly tactile, with visible delicate brushstrokes. A dichotomy is thus achieved between the digital theme and laborious hand-made process, emphasizing his concern for the transformation of traditional human relationships.
In the artist’s words: “Our eyes take in thousands of images every day, preconceived notions of identity, heroism, sexuality and love… From Internet dating to digital shopping; from pornography to television on demand, we trade happiness for gratification, intimacy for immediacy, and distance ourselves ever further from real-world experience.”
Ibbott received his MFA degree from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His works have been shown extensively in both Canada and the United States.
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