Tia Madden
'Cyphers' 2024, Ballpoint-pen on paper, hand-sawed patinated copper, hand-cut paper, plywood, black wall paint, 110cm x 60cm.
Artist statement
Cyphers combines papercutting, ballpoint pen, and hand-sawed copper to create a hypothetical encounter with a fictional, undecipherable script. By inviting audiences to use a speculative cypher to decode a series of abstract drawings, Cyphers explores the communicative potential of abstract marks when they are framed – or misread – as carriers of hidden meaning. The work prompts consideration into the moment a drawing transitions into writing, and asks whether collaborative efforts to decipher, decode, and misread meaningless marks can contribute to the illusion of legibility.
Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
