20/20 Vision, Second Edition

The Art of Contemporary University Printmaking

Nicholas Tisdale

Identity is a key part of understanding one’s self and one’s surroundings. Identity not only shows the external experiences of a person’s life and cultural surroundings but also the inner workings of their mind, thoughts, and belief structures. That is why I work with concepts of personal identity illustrated through common social imagery. Since concepts of identity seem to be constructions at the meeting point of internal characteristics and external surroundings, I try to integrate this merging site of social imagery and the associations of the viewer into my work. I believe interpretation of a piece is similar to identity in the sense that it requires an interaction between two factors (the viewer and the artist via the work). I do not wish to dictate how any viewer should directly respond to a piece but I hopefully can establish the departure point for an internal dialogue.