My interest has been to arouse curiosity in the potential of a simple, cube-like form by creating a dialogue between order and playfulness. I sometimes approach the work like an energetic youth arranging an infinite pile of colorful blocks in a zero gravity void listening to music at full volume. At other moments, I work with the measured persistence of an architect to construct the linear illusion of an impossible recession of space and simultaneous contrast. The images result from my negotiations with these two distinct characteristics and often provoke a sense of awkward juxtaposition.

The cube-like form has become a metaphor similar to a lens that can be used to express a point of view or an idea. When describing the work, I often reference my interests in contemporary music, art history, current events, skateboarding/graffiti and personal concerns. I relate my work to these sources by approaching each painting with a desire to mimic some experiential association I may have with a particular subject. The work is never simply about one or two aspects of what may be of interest to me, but becomes an amalgamation of both an aesthetic and a conceptual discourse that is to be seen all at once.

Email contact for Ian Hagarty: ihagarty[at]hotmail.com