My approach to painting is to use it, like a prosthetic, to apprehend the world. Painting shapes consciousness; there is nothing else like it for developing and moulding ideas. The paintings are often populated by post-humanoids that I like to call ‘Stooges’. These Stooges are generally in some sort of predicament: teetering on floating platforms, fighting with technology or having a malfunction of some kind. Such focal narratives act as a spring board into painting – but often disappear as work progresses. My research into communication and technological environments fuel much of the imagery.
I am attempting to create images that are humorous, responsive, and critical about such environments. My intention is that people will ‘watch’ the paintings, as if they will move when your head is turned…
I often work with arts organisations, museums and galleries on projects involving education and participation. These projects are an important part of what I do, as they provide opportunities to see how ideas ‘plug in’ to broader social groups.
In addition to this, I work on collaborative projects with other artists, and am a founding member of Feral Art School, Hull, and a trustee and arts editor for the Institute of General Semantics, New York.
Dom Heffer 