AUSTIN CLAY

〰️

AUSTIN CLAY 〰️

WILLIS

〰️

WILLIS 〰️

The Image as Rectangular Form, 2020, 4 x 6 x 2.5 ft, vinyl print, wood, paint, plastic, lights, extension cord, caster wheels

📍 Vancouver, BC

There are two main internal motivators which drive my art practice. Firstly, I am keenly interested in the bodily relationship to built and architectural environments. Secondly, I am captivated by the tension between illusory and real space. To these ends, I create multimedia abstract artwork through mediums including (but not limited to) painting, photography, sculpture, and installation.

My sculptures inform my paintings and photographs through material. Then the image based works are incorporated back into sculptural installations. These installations relate to the pictorial space, but deal with real environments through material, form, and a conscious attention to the specific rooms they inhabit. I often create structures like walls, ramps, stairs, and platforms for viewers to move through and occupy. The materials I use are found scraps of dimensional lumber, plywood, discarded sheets of plastic, tarpaulin, textiles, lights, extension cords, cans of mistinted house paint, and all other manner of industrial waste. I take inspiration for my forms from a wide range of information including construction sites, recycling centres, domestic furniture, DIY style structures, and even backyard treehouses.

A Nook For Viewing, 2021, 10 x 12 x 11 ft, wood, canvas, paint, plastic, aluminium, carpet, furniture, books, tools, rope, tape, lights, and extension cords

A Nook For Viewing (install shot), 2021, 10 x 12 x 11 ft, wood, canvas, paint, plastic, aluminium, carpet, furniture, books, tools, rope, tape, lights, and extension cords

Accordion, 2020, 8 x 6 x 8 ft, vinyl print, wood, paint, canvas, plastic, fabric, lights, extension cord

Split, 2021, 4 x 8 x 1.5 ft, vinyl banner image, wood, plastic, paint, rope, lights, extension cords