Painting about painting: the contemporary expansion of medium specificity

Studio: The work submitted for examination in December 2007 at SCA Galleries, consists of a painting constructed within the gallery space, and is the culmination of the research undertaken during the Masters of Visual Arts program. Untitled (Vinyl wall composition) I (2007) investigates how the act of making can function as a speculative activity interested in both the materiality of painting and the architectural context in which the work is placed. Research Paper: The objective of this research paper is to investigate the theoretical concerns raised by the studio work. It explores the contemporary position of medium specificity through the work of Tony Tuckson, Robert Ryman, Bernard Frize, Alan Charlton, Daniel Buren and Katharina Grosse. Discussion of the work of each of these artists focuses on the way in which the physical characteristics of the materials used to construct a painting can inform how the work is read and the ways in which the architectural context can influence how a painting is perceived. Through exploring the practices of each of these artists and establishing the conceptual strategies employed by each, this paper seeks to locate the central concerns of my practice within the discourse of contemporary painting