Fortress by Justin Wasserman

This work presents a series of imagined fortresses. The form of the fortress is abstracted and reduced to a symbol which is repeated – with variations – across the series. It is within the constraints of this refined form that I find the inspiration for experimenting with line, texture and colour. The multi-plate monoprint technique offers endless opportunities for testing the interaction between layers of colour; alternately hiding and revealing layers of mark-making. The variations across the works reflect the shifting concept of the fortress itself. In different contexts the fortress is either a prison or a place of refuge. The fortress offers protection and security but is also a symbol of oppression or punishment.