Matt Mullican
Since the 1970s, US artist Matt Mullican has been interested in models for explaining the world. He has developed a complex system of symbols consisting of various pictograms and colors as a means of tackling the question of the structure of the world, and with his system he aims to portray in symbols every aspect of the human condition in different combinations.
Every color has a specific symbolic value attached to it. For example, green stands for material, blue for the everyday world, yellow for ideas, white and black for language and red for the subjective.
The model of perception that Mullican calls the theory of the five worlds serves him as a system of order for his method of working as an artist. It illustrates the relationship between the world and its representation. The artist is particularly interested in how we charge symbols and systems of symbols with meaning. —Nikolaus Bischoff
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gouache and oil stick rubbing on canvas
78.74 x 78.74 in (200 x 200 cm) -
gouache and oil stick rubbing on canvas, 2 Parts
157.48 x 157.48 in (400 x 400 cm) -
Suite of multiple-colored traditionally processed and hand-painted terra-cotta tiles, produced by Viùva Lamego, Sintra, Portugal, 2022, housed in a wooden box | 5 parts, each tile 14 x 14 cm | Edition of 64
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oilstick, acrylic on canvas, rubbing
78.74 x 157.48 in (200 x 400 cm) -
oilstick, acrylic and gouache on canvas
59.06 x 118.11 in (150 x 300 cm) -
oilstick, gouache on canvas, rubbing | 2 parts, total 200 x 400 x 4
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oilstick and acrylic on canvas, rubbing
75.2 x 48.82 in (191 x 124 cm) -
acrylic, oil on canvas | each 244 x 122 cm
192.13 x 96.06 in (488 x 244 cm) -
lacquer on aluminium
Dimensions Variables -
Nylon
251.97 x 246.06 in (640 x 625 cm) -
Banner, Cotton, two-ply with material applications
99.21 x 99.21 in (252 x 252 cm) -
marker on paper, 2 parts each
18.5 x 14.96 in (47 x 38 cm)