Jaya Pelupessy’s work presents a conceptual and alternative reading of photography. He explores the early technical history of photography to arrive at a reinterpretation of the photographic medium. In ‘Pictorial Fields’, a continuation of ‘Manufactured Manual’, Pelupessy zooms in on the photographic surface, focusing on the analysis of individual pixels or dots.
As a result, the works become more abstract, shifting from examining the photographed subject to a deeper exploration of the photograph itself. The title of the series refers to both the representational qualities and limitations of photography, placing it within the context of abstract expressionism.
Pelupessy developed a new technique for adding pigments to light-sensitive screenprinting emulsion. These self-made emulsions are applied to the silkscreen and exposed to UV light, layering each colour separately. The final image appears once the colour dots of each exposure overlap.
While silkscreen frames are typically used for printing and reproducing images, Pelupessy employs them as a canvas for his work, thus merging process and outcome. This focus on the construction of the image is a key element in his work.