Line, mark-making, and drawing play an integral part in Arenson’s creative process. This exhibition is based on a selection of work spanning the last 15 years of Arenson’s career. It is the artist’s hope that the works assembled here allows the viewer insight into his concerns and process, which help contextualise his current body of work.
Arenson’s art-making process has always been concentrated and labour intensive. A fastidious engagement with detail and the materials the artist utilises results in work that is aesthetic, layered and engaging.
Arenson’s respect for Art and art history is also evident in these images. He has studied and researched numerous historical sources which often contribute to his content and techniques.
The artist challenges the viewer to try understand both the beauty and severity underlying his work. Further, the exhibition title, Hard Work, refers to the integration of these seeming paradoxes in life and art.
Arenson’s latest body of work elegantly addresses his commitment to these concepts. Through silkscreen, ink, graphite and paper, he has created work where content and technique have become inseparable. For example, in Relief I and II, Arenson leaves no traces of the printing process, yet it creates a fundamental role in the effect the image achieves. This emphasizes the potential that visual language has for the artist and viewer to realise the beauty and power of integrating seemingly disparate concepts into our own experience.