Pushing the boundaries between the most sophisticated formalism and outsider artâs instinctive logic, Chris Martin makes abstract painting look enviably effortless. His large scale canvases reflect a zany approach to experimentation and a methodological mode of play, conceiving painting as something intrinsically haptic that resolves from an intimately hands-on negotiation of materials. Martinâs works are renowned for their extremely physical surfaces which are created by collaging found items onto the canvas. In Untitled, the paintingâs texture is made from paper towels, newspaper, and acrylic gel â a thick paint-like substance resembling liquid plastic. Over-painting these with a bold graphic motif of a constellation network, Martin references the connective processes of making, placing his topsy-turvy rationale as a field of wonder and contemplation.
