In-conclusion: resisting resolution in recent paintings by Penny Siopis

Abstract

This research report focuses on two parts of perception, namely the gathering of visual data (looking) and the interpretation of such data (seeing). I examine the way that materiality, in recent paintings by Penny Siopis, functions to resist the insistent narrative image, by producing ambiguity, indeterminacy or imprecision. In my practical research I explore ways to fore-ground looking, to resist seeing the representational image and to create a state of perceptual tension, which engages the viewer in re-looking.