James Brooks
Born 1974, United Kingdom
Back to Exhibition
In this particular series, Brooks utilises the limitation of pencil grades and the measurements of everyday surfaces to explore ideas of standardisation. This involves setting up procedural investigations that are executed over time, using the repetitive motif of small hand drawn circles or zeros. This activity draws comparisons to man as machine, yet human error and the pencil's material properties deny a totally machined aesthetic. In 'For Every Solution there is a Problem', a ready-made Rubik's Cube has been used as a grid template to contrast HB pencil brands, attempting to subvert the minimalist logic of the 'cube' and 'square' through a tonal puzzle that can never be completed.