Although idea and form are ultimately paramount in my work, so too are chance, accident, and rawness.
Martin PuryearWhen I went to Africa I think that was when I really found a way to deal with what I had recently discovered; in two-dimensional terms, at least.
Martin PuryearI realized it wasn't necessary to work in the traditional methods of carving and casting.
Martin PuryearThere remains this belief that the work itself can have an identity that can speak, whether it's through beauty, or through ugliness, or whatever quality you put into the work. The work doesn't have to be a transparent vehicle for you to say things about life today.
Martin PuryearIโm interested in vernacular cultures, where people lived a little closer to the source of materials and the making of objects for use. And for me, not to rely strictly on the history of art has always been an interesting process, to be looking into areas that we call craft and trades.
Martin Puryear