The Edge of Chaos : Entropy I 2019

Sami Gattoufi made this drawing, "The Edge of Chaos : Entropy I" using ink on paper. The title itself, referencing "chaos" and "entropy," points to ideas in systems theory. The image contains several distinct elements which can be identified as belonging to different systems, such as a solar system. The question becomes how those systems relate to one another or, indeed, fail to relate. The image itself seems to mirror the kind of information overload that is typical of our contemporary media landscape. Perhaps the artist is critiquing the ways in which the internet age has affected social structures. To understand this work further, we could consider the institutions where Gattoufi studied and exhibited, looking into the critical discourse around systems and media at that time. Art always exists in dialogue with its moment, shaped by the prevailing ideas and the institutions that support its creation and dissemination.