My practice aims to explore the complex relationship between the painted image and the fundamental implications of the art object.

Employing illusion as a somewhat cynical device, my work for the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize 2016 is an acrylic painting of seemingly crumpled texture, painted using a commercial spray painting machine. The flat surface is juxtaposed with an illusion of a different kind – one corner is peeled back to reveal raw Belgian linen, a ground that in art history terms, is charged with meaning. The work is, in fact, painted on Australian-made polyester, a relatively new material with little lineage or fine art tradition.

The contradictory and often ambiguous space between juxtapositions of object and image continues to inform the direction of my painting practice. It is also the basis of a thesis for my final MFA year.

Sean Wadey – March 2016