Scott Gleeson
Region: West
My practice mines the rich histories of twentieth-century avantgarde
art and architecture, attempting to identify possible
contemporary functions of the artist within society and to
schematize the artist’s relationship to audience, community,
and the broader culture industry. Philosophy, art history, and
the social sciences inform my analytical methodologies and my
attempts to model new forms of aesthetic engagement with
audiences marginalized by society and traditional arts institutions.
The predominant concern in my studio and public art is the social
dimension of space, particularly as it is objectified within the built
environment, cultural institutions, and cognitive structures. I
strive to develop projects that reveal the structural relationship
between space and power, and liberate and empower the viewer
through engagement in the creative process. My current work
responds to crises facing combat veterans on their return from
war, advocating a utilitarian, therapeutic graphic art capable
of transforming domestic and institutional spaces into healing
environments. These paintings and installations are inspired by
psychoanalyst Francine Shapiro’s controversial therapy method
of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.