Body Politic

Robertson starts this series of work with words, phrases, and tracers of images that come to life through a forensic investigation of Internet image searches. These inquiries lead him through pages of memes and cultural icons that codify experience into a diverse range of propaganda. Starting with studies combining digital collage with a thick application of oil paint, Robertson transitions into a scratchy, gritty physicality that suggests the ruggedness of never-ending news cycles, wars, surveillance, and political rituals. Yet, Robertson distances himself from direct portrayals of ideology and gets lost in the abstract flow of information.