Meg Hitchcock
Dianthus , 2019
14 x 11
in
words typed on an old-fashioned typewriter, paint
“In my work with text I explore the psychological architecture of religion and the complex mental structures that we create in order to perceive our human nature,” says Meg Hitchcock. Through repetition and recitation, ideas and words carry associations that are deeply ingrained in the psyche. Chants, mantras, and incantations transcend language and penetrate the inner sanctum of the mind.
Hitchcock’s work is composed of letters and words cut from paper to create intricate designs. She finds her source material in books, particularly religious texts, and in her own hand-typed pages as is the case in “Dianthus.” The words that she chooses reflect her interest in religion and psychology. She is also interested in words that evoke common associations while eliciting subjective reactions. Language is an imperfect form of communication, yet an isolated word can often resonate with memory and emotion. “As I type a word over and over,” notes Hitchcock, “its meaning slowly fades until all that is left is ink, paper, and the sound of the typewriter keys.” Through this ritual of painting, typing, cutting, and gluing, she creates a field of symbols that resists a single interpretation. Once the meaning of a word is dissolved, what remains is an essence, a signifier of its former content.
Dianthus is a kind of “God flower.” The name Dianthus is from the Greek words Dios ("of Zeus") and anthos ("flower"), and was cited by the Greek botanist Theophrastus. The color pink may be named after the flower, coming from the frilled edge of the flowers: the verb "to pink" dates from the 14th century and means "to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern.”
Meg Hitchcock is a text-based artist living and working in New York's Hudson Valley. She received her BFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, and studied classical painting in Florence, Italy. Her work with words and sacred texts is a culmination of her lifelong interest in religion, literature, and psychology. Hitchcock's work has been shown in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, London, and Berlin, and reviewed in Art in America, ArtCritical, The New Criterion, Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, and The Daily Beast. Her work was included in "State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now" at Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas. She is currently an MFA Candidate at SUNY Purchase in Purchase, New York.
