BUTWA II 2009

This is Cameron Platter's black and white drawing ‘BUTWA II’ and when I look at it, I imagine the artist starting with the hard-edged geometric shapes and then letting the figures emerge in reaction to that structure. It feels like a game of hide and seek, where the artist is trying to find a way to make something new and unexpected out of the rigid structure of black and white triangles. What is it like to have to come up with a new move? The material has a strange flatness, but the way the figures are layered and repeated creates a dizzying sense of depth and movement. The central figure holding fried chicken is like an offering, a gift, or maybe a trick. Platter's work has a bold, graphic quality, kind of reminiscent of art brut, but also referencing pop art. In the end, all artists are in a constant dialogue, trying to find new ways to express themselves while also building on the work of those who came before.