“Networkism is a growing artistic trend, characterized by the portrayal of figurative graph structures – illustrations of
network topologies revealing convoluted patterns of nodes and links.”
-Manuel Lima, Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information
As our world continues to become increasingly “networked”, be it through social media, cellular data or the Internet, there is a strong desire to understand, and map, this interconnectivity. The plethora of ways to connect and the d...
“Networkism is a growing artistic trend, characterized by the portrayal of figurative graph structures – illustrations of
network topologies revealing convoluted patterns of nodes and links.”
-Manuel Lima, Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information
As our world continues to become increasingly “networked”, be it through social media, cellular data or the Internet, there is a strong desire to understand, and map, this interconnectivity. The plethora of ways to connect and the deeper complexity of connectedness create an overwhelming amount of information making the ability to meaningfully understand it impossible. Over the years we have seen designers, engineers, scientists and artists alike looking to simplify the clutter through creative visualization. Some of the most beautiful visualizations exist in art and Eve Stockton and Sondra N. Arkin are prime examples of artists working in this vein.
Eve Stockton is a master of large scale, woodcut printmaking. Her works depict patterns of nature while
exploring concepts of interconnectedness and infinity. In Networks, her imagery of nodes and links has been printed and manipulated in ways that depict visions of nature at different scales alluding to microcosms and celestial bodies. Inspired by primordial origins, evolution and planetary health, Stockton strives to visualize complex networks in each 3’x3’ print and expands that narrative in her large Ensemble presentations. Stockton’s rinsed-prints involve printing white ink on white paper and then rinsing or staining the paper in a color bath often leading to unexpected results. This rare technique is best seen in the Zum/Bloom series.
Sondra N. Arkin is a curator of the world around her. Her work is directly influenced by what she sees, in walks through nature or the city. Familiar in form but a mystery in subject, her pieces present asymmetrical patterns that are peaceful and energetic at the same time, possibly evokingunderwater or star-maps or microscopic cellular imagery. Her process-drivenwork, utilizing wax, shellac and inks, allows Arkin to build up layers of interest through mark making with pens, brushes and torches. While her earlier work put the viewer on one side of the picture plane, this new work destabilizes that relationship. Now the viewer enters a nest of lines as ifthey were walking through a dimensional space. In addition to her encaustic and mixed media works, Arkin will be displaying wire sculptures.
