Paul Catanese

Artist Statement

Keywords:

My work focuses on the creation of hybrid art forms. I view these forms as an extension of the space of theatre; not as a mere spectacle of emotions, but hybrids so far extended they have been separated from the original. These forms retain characteristics of theatre by exploring the notion of language as an incantation, where relationships between disparate elements act to reveal a hidden, imaginary and persistent cosmology. My work functions as a conduit that spans physical and virtual spaces imbued with the intimacy of a Chinese scroll painting - the surface of which is akin to a vast electrified book powered by words, images and sounds.

Regarding Technology

I use technology in my process of creating work and I define technology rather widely, incorporating scanners, cameras and programming languages to fishnets, dowsing rods and hydrophones (among others). Very often, I incorporate technology as part of the work itself. Hybrids may take many forms and include many elements: they may be virtual, physical or both. Distribution may involve machines, networks or devices, but it is not limited to them or by them. There may be modes of interaction, reaction or none at all, and a single work can potentially incorporate each of these methods in varying degrees.

For me, creating art with technology is about rethinking its use, creating hybrids that are not so easily explained or pigeonholed. This is precisely what is attractive about working on hybrids to me: they defy classification and must be met on their own terms. Without a lexicon or prior conceptual framework to draw upon, the ideas must hold themselves up all on their own.

Paul Catanese Bio

Paul Catanese is a hybrid media artist and an Assistant Professor of New Media at San Francisco State University. His artwork has been exhibited widely including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, SFMOMA Artist's Gallery, Villette-Numerique and Stuttgart Filmwinter among others. Paul is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including commissions for the creation of new artwork from Turbulence.org as well as Rhizome.org.