Permanent Structures 1995

“...Keith Ball examines the processes of commodification and the assigning of value to the art object. Viewing art as a commodity can overtly downplay any other function the work may have, be it communication, expression or propaganda value. Ball's pieces, however, subvert any such naively romantic notions of art, the artwork and originality.  In Permanent Structures the dematerialisation of the object may take place before your very eyes. Here Ball has assembled a cubic structure of large building blocks. All the elements of an artwork are present, yet the only constants are the volume and colour of the work - the size and shape change each day the gallery is open. There is another twist; the permutations are not only brought on by the hand of Ball himself. Ball has inserted the critic as artist into the piece by inviting others to lend their hand.

How does one ascertain value when an object is stripped of any permanence ?  Which, if any, is the original ?  Whose work are we looking at ?”

John Slyce

28 / 05 / 1997

Subject / Object  ....1999

Subject / Object is the collective title for this series of works in which the subject or object (reason ?) of artworks has been removed, leaving only their original ‘context’. These pieces ore not ‘copies’ of originals, they are estimations of the original ‘site’ before the work was created. They are in fact, originals before the event but produced after them. The works are all instantly recognisable despite the removal of their initial focus. The series continues an ongoing exploration into questions of cultural perception of status through  repetition and recognition,  originality and value.

HeadSpace  ....Series 1985 and revisited  -  ongoing

HeadSpace is the collective title for this series of two and three-dimensional works broadly dealing with cognition and relationship within society.

"ONE DAY THIS MAY ALL MAKE SENSE - WE CAN ONLY HOPE NOT!"