Untitled

Untitled | 38 X 48 Inches

For this piece I will not write a description, I will however share one viewers perspective of this painting:

In Maii’s work, “untitled,” the deviation that interests me most is in its approach to narrative and, to an extent, authorial intent. Maii explained in their description of the work that normally, they deliberately infuse their paintings with narrative and emotional meaning. Their deviation here, then, is in refraining from this practice: “untitled” has no explicitly declared meaning. Maii may not have painted this work with an intention or meaning in mind, but the result is anything but meaningless. Instead, the slight withdrawal of explicit authorial intent opens space for unexpected, serendipitous interpretation.

Before going any further, I want to quickly set out by saying that I don’t mean to imply that just because an artist infuses a work with meaning, the work is suddenly closed down for interpretation. It’s not as though one sees a work in a gallery, immediately comprehends its meaning, and then turns their brain off, accepting that interpretation at the exclusion of all others. Most work has a healthy amount of ambiguity in it, and that ambiguity leaves room for interpretation. As is, I believe, the case with Maii’s other work. While they have previously assigned narrative to their works, I don’t see this as a closing down of meaning.

I do believe, however, that setting out with the intention of making something without an explicit message has opened possibilities for meaning-making both for the artist, Maii, and viewers of “untitled.” By stipulating that they work this way, Maii may turn more to spontaneity and instinct. Upon executing their instincts and reflecting on the work, they too discover meaning in the work, likely in unexpected ways previously inaccessible to the artist.

For the viewer, hearing that a work ‘has no meaning’ kicks their interpretive brain into overdrive. Even when a work ‘has a meaning,’ viewers still tend to yield their own interpretations, but those interpretations are often validated relative to the artist’s own declared meaning for the work, or the meaning at which critical consensus arrives. Interpretations too far away from the center are disregarded. By saying, however, that a work ‘has no meaning,’ that process of validation dissolves. Viewers become radically open to entertaining any interpretation they might come across, broadly expanding the scope of possible meaning for a work.

This de-centering of authorial intent let me relate to the work in a very abstract way. I asked myself not if I related to the story being told, but if, somehow, the marks (and wine glass) on the canvas spoke to my experience. By attaching no words to the work, Maii prompted me to look for meaning that could not be expressed by words. I found this process deeply enriching.

Maii, your deviation in not assigning meaning to your work, paired with incredibly expressive form, prompted me to consider interpretations I otherwise could not have, and spoke in a way which is inaccessible by words. Thank you.