"Invisible Grid" is a collection of digital works created serially by adapting imagery from previous compositions into new arrangements. It is a manual approach to image generation with potentially infinite variations and outputs. The works share a common "DNA" of foundational components such as low-resolution images, sketches, and other archival ephemera, and follow a progression of repurposed visual elements. The works are continuous and variable, capturing a natural evolution from one composition to another and forming a cohesive body of work.
The works draw from a vast archive of imagery from various sources, including reference books, library and museum archives, and the internet. These images serve as the primary subject matter, referencing the language of graphic design and computer graphics. The digital medium is central to the series' concept, addressing themes such as immigration, identity, displacement, mass media, pop culture, and art historical lineage. The imagery encompasses a wide range of subjects, from contemporary painting and 1960s abstraction to Islamic art, Persian miniatures, early computer graphics, and vintage illustrations.
The title "Invisible Grid" refers to the automatic measurement systems in design software like Photoshop, which use snap-grids and rulers as a compositional foundation for users to follow. Although the gridlines are not visible in the final compositions, they can be seen embedded in the arrangement of elements. The hierarchy and conventions of these grids are sometimes intentionally broken, creating tension by layering and overlapping bright textures and patterns with high and low culture motifs. The bitmapped and half-toned images maintain their artifacting and natural degradation as they are continuously processed and retransmitted. "Invisible Grid" presents the raw material of the painting practice as the finished result, while still incorporating painterly sensibilities in a series of works that evolves over time.