Gracia Khouw

What does language look like?

I paint sound. I enjoy stripping words of their intended meaning into tones that cause the air to vibrate, resonate and sing. Like deciphering signs in foreign lands. Sometimes I leave a space filled only by primeval sound bites or onomatopoeia; while at other times images arise -the consequence of letters voicing their free will. The absence of meaning and weightlessness of language challenges the manner in which we look at images and how we interpret them.

The more I work with letterforms, the more intrigued I become with the in-between spaces of letters. What is that undefined shape that visually lifts itself off the background but is not a letter? Do the shapes enclosed by a letter or between letters have meaning?   

The letter 'O' is fun to work with, basically it's sort of an oval with another oval shape in the middle, which represents a hole in the bigger oval. I wonder if there's really nothing in the hole or how big this 'nothing' is. Anyway, the whole point of the letter 'O' is that it's kind of a closed system, it's just sitting there and not going (or pointing) anywhere - except to it's center. I've arranged three O's to do just that, together. This image is part of a new series about closed formations or circuits.      

Gracia Khouw