Artist Statement

I am fascinated with the role technology plays in the creation of art, as well as its obsolescence in the wake of human progress. This relationship between art and its process is well illustrated by the history of traditional Japanese woodblock; the printing technology integral to the popular rise of Ukiyo-e also contributed to its downfall. Coming from the cultures of both East and West, my life has revolved around the possibilities of creating something new from different origins. As such, I’ve found the woodblock art form thematically appropriate to pair with the aesthetic of similarly outdated 20th century culture.  By combining antiquity with technology and past with (near) present, I try to create a new context for the art that is seemingly transcendent of history.

Japanese woodblock printing was concerned with the nature of image duplication, and my choice of a modern technique is based on similar strengths and limitations. Using a stencil means working within a defined space, but different applications of spray painting within the template allow for wildly different interpretations of the same image, and ‘play’ in the grey area between uniformity and singularity. Exploring a painting through its variations helps me address the nature of individuality within a system and the concept of originality amid repetition.

Jonathan Wakuda Fischer
Seattle, WA USA, 2010