Hetherington, Iain
In my recent series of paintings, figures or 'characters' formed from a mass of smears and paint marks (reminiscent of those on a traditional painter's palette) are adorned with the baseball cap and gold chain signifiers of hip-hop and 'ned' cultures. But with the portraits being titled diversified cultural workers, the security of what is represented and who is doing the representing is brought under pressure. The series attempts a critique of the simplistic, market-research based categorisation of individuals into types, the notion of difference being used to avoid value judgements and the altruistic gesture-as-career-move artist.
Iain Hetherington
Composite Picture 3 (Diversified Cultural Worker)
2008