Ian Cumberland

 

Cumberland stages fictional scenes that give the viewer a sensation of voyeurism. Individual figures contained within generic everyday settings create an environment which intrudes into moments that appear private. He carefully arranges mise-en-scènes, sets, actors, props, and lighting to reconstruct an illusion of normality that is understood through mass media. These are then photographed and painted. The paintings are treated as objects among a multi component tableau staged within the space, creating a wider installation. Elements framed within the paintings extend into the space using fabric, paint, neon, sculpture, and video work. By expanding the paintings' mode of presentation, Cumberland is highlighting the process of construction through deconstruction, exploring ideas about the human condition, culture, symptoms of mass media, surveillance and control.