Who are we? How do we belong? What influences our decisions?
There are things that we do everyday, that are thought over as if they were nothing. They are tasks that are repeated, unconsciously, without any thoughts. These actions are mundane, lack enthusiasm, but sustain our lives; preparing food, washing dishes, doing laundry.
Zoey Frank has illuminated these tasks in paintings. Painting these actions and objects mirrors how we engage with them, but elevates their place in our world.
These objects are not interesting, they are overlooked in our daily lives, they acquire very little significance in minds, and we think little of their effect on us. But their banality helps Frank turn her focus away from the objects themselves and toward the image as a whole: the flat shapes, the balance of light and dark, and the interaction of color. These objects become interesting, sparking interest in the viewer to understand what exactly is being depicted and how the alteration of reality influences our associations with them.
How do we look at our world? How does that view change when confused with abstraction? Simplifying life allows the world to appreciate the little things in life. The colors that surround us, the geometric shapes that create our world, the starkness that light shadows and dark shadows make – each aspect combines to make a full image of our lives.
It is difficult to imagine these things apart from their whole. Frank does the hard part for us; she takes parts of the whole and allows the parts to speak for themselves. Each part of a room, a sandwich, a window, a dish, a plant, a figure, is distinct and important to the whole. Frank allows these parts, shown as geometric shapes, shadows, and shades, to speak for themselves.
Frank abstracts reality to allow the little things to shine through. The mundane becomes the beautiful, the center of attention, the critical aspects of these pieces, illuminated the overlooked. These paintings reflect our assumptions of the world. Just because the mundane seems unimportant, does not mean it lacks significance. These paintings allow us to see the world for the smaller things, for the overlooked, and for the general, asking us to look past our original thoughts and find beauty out of all that we see.
All images copyright the artist. Learn more: Zoey Frank.
