Staind presents a compilation of small drawings that employ horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines made on one side using alcohol markers. Then the paper is flipped, and all of the negative space is filled with graphite which surrounds the ink that bled through to the other side.

Alluding to the making of architectural schematics or mapping, the drawings address potential tangible spaces that become abstracted through the meticulous mark-making that transforms the initial image.

Each drawing adapts this technique as a testament to the fragility of memory. Forgetting remembered spaces. A space is familiar but no longer recognizable. The space is not gone, just different.

As the series progresses the work begins to take on a life of its own. The process became mechanical, self-activated, and even instinctual, one that required no thought, just action. The work created its own dialogue, its own language, a system for a system of intricate routes, hallways, roads, pathways, and tunnels.

ARTIST BIO:

Jacob Stiltner (b.1996) was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He completed his BA at Florida International University and is an MFA candidate at the same institution. His work focuses on themes of fragility, vulnerability, strength, fortitude, and growth. With graphite he is able to test the limits of human endurance and replicate tedious labor practices. Through abstractions he is able to speak about complex topics and how they are represented in contemporary society and use it as a way to create conversation.