About the work:
ALL OF THE ANSWERS TO EVERY QUESTION EVER ASKED BY ANY PERSON
The English alphabet consists of twenty-six letters that could be interpreted as elements
of a puzzle. Various arrangements
of these elements create the words we use to describe
ourselves, the world around us,
our thoughts and so on.
Considering letters in this simple and obvious way allows us to think of them as combinations,
not unlike the numbers used for a combination of a safe. If we know how to arrange the letters,
we can essentially make any word.
This idea brought me to the conclusion that any question I have or anyone has ever had for that
matter, could be answered if only we knew how to arrange the letters of the alphabet in the correct
order. This led me to create “Unentitled”, a series of paintings that addresses these thoughts.
I have layered each letter of the alphabet one on top of the other creating a silhouette of all of the
combined letters. This results in a total loss of function of their intended use, but theoretically any
question imaginable can be answered within that shape if only you knew how to deduct the
unnecessary letters.
This restriction of purpose and the somewhat impossible idea that every question’s answer is
merely a matter of arrangement are meant to run parallel as well as have a symbiotic relationship.
The silhouettes change shape depending on the font used to create them, speaking to the fluid nature
of thought and language. From elegant to gaudy to simple to decorative the outcome remains the
same: a shape that has brought us no closer to answering even our simplest questions.
The title of the work, “Unentitled”, suggests that possibly we are not actually entitled to all of the
answers to every question ever asked by any person.
j.frede - 2013
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