11. bis 23. Juli 2013
Vernissage: Donnerstag, 11. Juli ab 19h
Unclassical conditioning is a play on the behaviour modification known as Classical or Pavlovian conditioning, a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired: a response which is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
Amanda Ceccato’s work revolves around the sentiment of emotion, in particular repetitive, powerful and occasionally obsessive thought-processes and the stronghold these thoughts can have over the mind. She touches on the link to so called Unclassical conditioning as a comment on the seeming inability of thoughts such as these to be traced to specific stimuli or occurrences, effectively rendering them impossible to avoid, control or monitor. These responses then create irregular thought paths, and when combined with emotion, can evolve and intensify to become triggers in themselves, creating a stimuli/response game of cat and mouse through the mind and making them capable of overpowering even basic logical thinking (or so it feels).
Cluttered, mismatched, intricately drawn and painted shapes lend themselves to a perplexity of thoughts. Loose brushwork and washes of colour provide calmer moments. Gritty, built-up areas provoke a darker, more distressed side.
Amanda Ceccato is a Painting graduate of the Queensland College of Art in Brisbane, Australia. She has been living and practicing in Berlin for two and a half years. Unclassical conditioning is Amanda’s third solo show, and first here in Germany.