Hastings College Art Gallery
Hastings, Nebraska
November 7-19, 2004
The simplest way to define the word "draw" is to say it's a mark made on a surface. Usually the mark is made by a pencil, and the surface that is marked on is paper. It may seem strange, to think of my work as drawings, but really all I am doing is making marks on a surface. When I have made traditional drawings, I have found that I usually am more fascinated by the way the surface accepts the mark than I am by the subject itself. This has led me to experiment with making marks with many different tools. The majority of the marks you see in my work are made with a silkscreen and a sander, but I have also used brushes, squeegees, an iron, a dremel with various attachments, stencils, transfer methods, and an assortment of spoons and eating utensils. In addition to making the mark, I am equally interested in the surface being marked on. In an attempt to get away from marks simply existing on the surface of the paper, I grind away the images and force the paper to interact with the marks being made. The rough edges, holes, folds, curling, and tears are not mistakes, but recognition of the importance of the paper's surface.
The 4 photos I included have a similar approach to exploring the relationship of different marks on different surfaces. The graphic designer in me is attracted to typography in everyday settings, and I love seeing and how images deteriorate as they are exposed to the abuse of their environment. Just like my sander creates marks by eroding my printed images, the sun, wind, rust, and erosion create marks as they cause the printed type to deteriorate.
In addition to the 4 photographs that I framed for the show, photography plays another role in my work. To stretch the drawing analogy further, I use photography as a way to sketch out the images. By transferring the photo to a silkscreen, the image itself becomes a way of making a mark. I carefully select my images with the goal of seeing them change as they interact with the different tools and surfaces they get printed on.
Adrian Hanft graduated from Concordia University in Seward Nebraska. In pursuit of a degree in graphic design, his studies at Concordia focused on photography, wheel-thrown ceramics, drawing, and collage. In March of 2001 his senior exhibition at the Marxhausen Gallery displayed work on masonite that incorporated screen printed images with collage and sanded surfaces. Adrian currently works as a graphic designer in Loveland, Colorado.