Timothy J Sullivan: Improbable Landscapes

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Timothy J Sullivan, “Inter Views,” 2020

acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 30 inches (courtesy of the Gallery)

Artist Bio:

As a visual artist, Timothy is deeply fascinated by the complex interplay between thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuition, and how these aspects of human experience can be translated into the creation of art. His work is informed and inspired by a range of philosophical, literary, and scientific notions, including specific concepts from the writings of Gilles Deleuze, Elizabeth Grosz, and Karen Barad.

Timothy works primarily in acrylics, inks, and oil pastels on a range of media, including papers, panels, and canvas, and in a variety of sizes. By using these different materials and techniques, he seeks to create works that are visually rich and engaging and that explore the interplay between colour, texture, and form.

Through his art, Timothy aims to imagine new works and processes of art-making that draw on these ideas and explore the boundaries of what is possible. By using a variety of mediums and techniques, he seeks to create works that challenge conventional ways of perceiving the world as art and push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

At the core of Timothy’s practice is a deep interest in the relationships between art and knowledge and how the act of creating art can be seen as a form of knowledge production in its own right. By engaging with these ideas and concepts, he hopes to create works that not only inspire and captivate viewers but also contribute to a broader understanding of the world and our place within it.

Ultimately, Timothy’s goal as an artist is to create works that are thought-provoking, emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating and that offer new perspectives on the complex relationships between humans, nature, and the universe at large.

Artist Statement:

Breaking out of the conventional frame of the landscape, the first part of this exhibition presents a multi-perspectival, multidimensional exploration of The View.

Imagine “A Room with a View” taken both figuratively and metonymically: The ‘room’ not just your private abode, your study with a view of the lake or the neighbourhood, but stands for your mind-set, your ideology, your religion, even. The view from there determines what territory that surrounds, what feels secure, what you are ‘permitted’ to see from its ‘window’, its perspectival frame.  The window on the world is tinted and tainted thereby.

Referencing concepts developed by Gilles Delueze & Felix Guattari  (deterritorialization, lines of flight, the plane of composition, the abstract machine) these ideas become inspiration for ways of crafting new works. Art making as abstract machine.

However, the idea of machine here goes beyond the mechanical madness of the inhuman kind. Rather, it suggests continuous flows, variations of intensity, the ever becoming of creation. 

In this series of works, the traditional elements of landscape are abstracted, deconstructed, re-imagined in various concatenations of perspective, challenging the hegemony of vision or the way we see the world. Is this not (one of the) very functions of art?

What appears through this creative process – imagined as lines of flight– are works that not only challenge the conventional but also are pleasing, harmonious, and hence another vision of The Beautiful.

The second part of this show consists of selections from the Figments, Fragments, and Artifacts collection weaves displays of objects, both ancient and contemporary. The amalgamation of these three elements forms a cohesive narrative that transcends traditional artistic boundaries. Figments challenge our perception of reality, Fragments explore the beauty within imperfections, and Artifacts ground us in the continuum of time. Together, they invite contemplation, encouraging viewers to explore the nuances of their own perspectives and engage in a dialogue with the ever-evolving tapestry of human experience.