Almeta Chae

‘Coffee roasting machine’ – 2010

“What is produced is the result of this internal discussion. And when finished this continues, with others.”

Art is many things. But fundamentally I think art is about recording an encounter with life, about saying this is what I did and here are the marks or the objects I made. It is quite a primeval thing. I’m sure it is not about trying to reach out to people.
I think some works are adopted, as in ‘it speaks to me’ but who knows what the real intension was. You can sometimes ask the artist but even then how much of what they say about their work is explanation, how much is justification and how much is mystification?
I’m certain we can never know for sure.
You can attach logic to anything but it doesn’t mean it has any value. Most of the time my opinions precede my thoughts, which are usually engaged in justifying said opinion.
It is a bit back to front and maybe not everything I do make sense to other people or sometimes to myself.

The production of my art is mostly a dialogue with myself. What is produced is the result of this internal discussion. And when finished this continues, with others.
Art has always been about observation. It can be a bit self-referential sometimes. I observe my surroundings and make presumptions from these observations. Sometimes these presumptions turn into marks. Usually gross oversimplifications, because in truth I don’t really understand much of it. The complexities of my surroundings are beyond me. I think understanding is often confused for detailed scrutiny.
All I can do is try to simplify, make sense of it and if it pays it is even better.