Ian Jehle

Statement

Ian Jehle’s artistic practice is based in mathematics and philosophy with a specific emphasis on areas where art and mathematics have historically intersected, such as colour, symmetry, and spacial projection. Jehle’s works often vary widely in terms of medium and mathematical focus. However, underlying all of his projects is a focus on questions about information. Does an artwork contain information? If so, what is that information? And is that information complete? Jehle’s preferred artistic media include drawing, painting, and sculpture using non-traditional materials, as well as participatory projects where audiences create art as a form of research experiment. Documentation and notes may also become artworks in their own right.

Artworks

This painting is part of a larger series of algorithm-based paintings which, if successful, will generate an algorithm that will colour a two-dimensional map using only four colours. This painting is testing the conjecture that a single colour can be eliminated from portions of the map prior to assigning the remaining colours. In this case, the bright red regions were first assigned at random. Blue, yellow, brown and pink regions were then assigned using a series of logical steps. Note that in the final colouring, the pink and red regions are considered to be the same colour. Sections of the painting are left unpainted to show the form the the experiment, however all areas have been assigned colours as indicated by the letters A,B,C,D.