ARTIST GALLERY -
SYANN WILLIAMS

As a conceptual thinker and maker, I work with discarded materials in two- and three-dimensional formats. Although found objects with a history or provenance speak particularly to me, I also engage with acrylic paint, mixed media, drawing materials, cardboard and photography to produce works in abstract styles.
My process is to converse with materials through texture, colour, contrast, and line to see what will arise. Painting for me involves applying and scratching back many layers of coloured liquids including paint, dyes, washes, bleach and medium. A favourite sculpture technique is to mould cardboard through repeated iterations of wetting, mounding and lacquering until an organic form has evolved. Frottage, or rubbings, feature strongly in my drawing due to their ability to capture texture and history.
For me, life is about discovering how the world works, why and how I can contribute. Through conducting my art processes, I discover the work’s meaning, which is often a reflection on my life and the environment around me in a form of ‘deep mapping’. For me this means exploring multiple dimensions of meaning through sociological, cultural,
personal, historical and environmental perspectives. Deep mapping Newcastle and other places is currently an ongoing theme.