Kenneth Millington

Lives and works in Beacon, NY, USA

Artist statement

My primary action as an artist is recording. I use painting, video, and technology to record places, both physical attributes as well as data that describes unseen forces. Image and abstraction are used to trace geographies, electromagnetic frequencies, and fluid dynamics. This record examines how perceptual understanding and perceptual limitations impact our understanding of place and environment. My paintings explore the forces at work in nature that are outside of human perception. The subject of these oil paintings, turbulence, is the resulting chaotic action within a system of moving fluids encountering an obstacle. Scientists often use color coded computer models to display these high velocity interactions. Unable to do fieldwork due to the quarantine, I used this approach in studio to experiment and create models that reveal the violence and grace that unfold as forms collide, disperse and fragment. These paintings uncover and record the momentary landscapes that result. As a Latino artist of Bolivian descent, I see my work continuing the legacy of ancient architectural and earthworks sites purposed for astronomical and geological observation. By contrast, the medium of painting is employed for contemplative engagement with nature’s phenomena. Through exploring the overlapping territories of science, nature and human perception a uniquely modern landscape can be envisioned.

Artwork