Christopher Batten

Region: South

Website: http://www.cbatten.com

City / State: Baltimore, MD

 My practice examines issues of race, inequity, economic deprivation, the mundane, and hysteria relative to America’s sociopolitical landscape. Through abstraction, representation, and the space in between, I explore the phenomenological aspects of violence and the moments of peace/balance that exists therein, fueled by my experience as a martial artist and upbringing in an urban environment. Abstraction has formed a vehicle for recollecting my experiences as a fighter and placing me in the position of a spectator. The broader view of the spectator, when combined with that of the participant, creates a space that can be explored in the moments I revisit representation. Overall, we all function in life as combatants who fight for and/or against something. The most critical of these battles is the one that takes place inside us daily when we reflect on how our experiences have affected us throughout our lives. Surface, color, gesture, and symbolism work together to traverse the territory where the effects of our lived experiences and societal conditions collide with their causes.