I recently acquired this book by Phaidon, with an interesting introduction by Emma Dexter. It was created from a survey taken from international critics, curators and museum directors, who were asked to nominate artists that are emerging in the art scene that focus mainly drawing in their practice. The book contains over 100 different artists that use mark making as their primary idea.
‘TO DRAW IS TO BE HUMAN.’
‘Drawing is everywhere. We are surrounded by it – it is sewn into warp and weft of our lives: We practice it as one of our earliest experiences as schoolchildren […].’
‘People can draw every where in the world; Drawing can even be used as a global visual language when verbal communication fails.’
This explanation written by Dexter clearly describes my reasons for focusing on drawing, and recreating experience through mark making and text. It also refers to communication and language, which links to Joseph Grigleys use of notes in his work – an outcome of the struggles of communication between him and other due to his hearing difficulties. Drawing has an international visual understanding that I believe should be highly appreciated in its effort to recreate, understand, explain and explore our surroundings.
