Statement on Drawings: Douglas Smith
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Over the last four years, I have been producing a series of large-scale drawings under the title Catharsis. It is an on-going project comprised of two completed drawing series and a project currently in development. All the work shares similar thematic and formal similarities, seamlessly transitioning from one series to the next. During the production of Catharsis, the scale of my drawings increased markedly relating to ideas of grand spectacles and theatrical installations. The increase in size gives scope to the imaginative narratives I invent, probing such ideas of transmigration, the volatility of the ecological and global environment and a growing societal angst. The compositions reflect a non-linear storyline filtered through my experiences living on the Canadian Prairies and several years residing in The Netherlands. Drawing is an experimental platform upon which I marry graphite's technical versatility with the concepts and compositions of the drawings; to give thinking form.

The perception of drawing transforms dramatically when the scale becomes significantly large. It is less a cerebral experience and more of a physical presence. I use panoramic scale to play with the idea of spectacle, building the compositions through methodical repetition of symbols and marks within a diagrammatic format. With the map/diagram construct, I am able to layer varying narratives and infer the realm of a collective psyche. In order to probe this ephemeral world, I devised a pictorial palette of personalized images, symbols and stylized iconography. These pictorial elements, extracted from architecture, popular culture as well as geological, oceanic and weather maps are recycled from one drawing to the next where their meanings are altered by differing contexts. It is a sublime visual language of my own devise. An example of a metaphorical reference in my work is that of flight and of the air traffic network embedded in our global community. These images are signifiers for a system of fast-moving global migrations, creating an inevitable intermixing of cultural systems, beliefs and identities.

The title Catharsis reflects upon both Platonic and modern Catharsis Theory - the modern theory proposing a belief that one can be emotionally cleansed from feelings like pity, anger and vengeance if repeatedly exposed to violence; a paradox controversially championed by producers of violent video games and entertainment. Plato coined the original term "Katharsis", a belief that tragedy in drama can be a cleansing experience for the viewer and lead to a healthy society. I develop the thematic narratives in my drawings influenced by both these intriguing concepts, advocating neither wholly. Instead, I am proposing a possible visual cathartic experience through subtlety - not shock.

My current project addition to the Catharsis series furthers the imaginative narrative in an epically-scaled drawing, consisting of multiple sheets of paper arranged end to end horizontally. The imagery is based on "the arena" or "the stadium". Again using diagrammatic constructs and layered surfaces, I want the drawings to navigate beyond the architectural elements depicted and probe the transcendental nature of such structures. Composing the paper panels in a continuous horizontal format, they share a physical commonality with monumental architectural friezes, medieval tapestries and frescoes. These iconic objects were often designed to express epic events or social and political ideals employing overwhelming scale. My intent is to distil a more primordial pictorial narrative through the use of substantial scale. The drawings reference "the arena", not only as a place of congregating peoples, but as a space inviting the coalescence of ideas and beliefs. The finest and darkest character of human history can be linked to "the arena", as witnessed in the Olympic Games or the mass rallies of Nuremberg, Germany. Technology has put the world online and inducted a virtual world of arenas and forums, including the Internet itself. The Shakespearean adage "All the world's a stage" is the resonating mantra that sets the tone for this project and all the drawings in the Catharsis series.