Thread — tangles / detangles

Artist statement

"Material Tangential to My Painting Practice" is an exploration of the overlooked materials that accumulate through the act of making art. The plastic waste from canvases and frames—normally discarded without thought—is braided into an organic form, revealing the unseen byproducts of creative labor. This transformation echoes the exhibition's theme of Tangles / Detangles, where discarded materials are reworked into something new, questioning the relationship between creation and waste. Thread, as a medium, often goes unnoticed, much like the hidden costs of artistic production. In this work, I replace traditional fibers with an artificial byproduct of my practice, making the unseen visible. The act of braiding mimics traditional textile techniques while challenging the material expectations of thread-based art. By reconfiguring what is usually discarded, I invite viewers to consider the broader environmental and conceptual implications of material use in art. What is deemed waste? What threads are lost in the process of making? This work serves as both a critique and a meditation on materiality, labor, and sustainability in contemporary artistic practice.