New Translations at Subliminal Projects is a collection of Scott Albrecht’s latest work showcasing a concentrated evolution in his graphic approach and visual language. The title of the exhibition is inspired by recent events that have resonated with the artist—both personal and cultural—in which the idea of what is current or normal is no longer relevant, and needs to be viewed from a new perspective to make sense of the path ahead.
In this exhibition, Albrecht has found focus in the abstract. The works are largely based in typography but have their legibility masked in a variety of techniques; bold color-blocking, varying depths, non-uniform grids, or a lack of spacing between words. This manipulation can make the work appear pattern-based at first glance; however, on further evaluation the viewer discovers there is no repetition. While his works are constructed from a literary idea, Albrecht’s approach is mainly visual. In a series of new pieces for the exhibit, this process is underscored when he overlays two words on top of one another, and in some instances reverses the order of the characters. The end result renders the characters illegible with the exception of small moments or clues from the two words, visually presenting two ideas that are at odds with each other, hindering any idea from manifesting.
Albrecht’s woodworks are the result of an extensive process that starts with a hand-rendered drawing and requires hours of precision production work. Each piece is made up of dozens, sometimes hundreds of individual pieces that are cut, sanded, painted and re-assembled, often in varied depths. His largest work in this exhibition, “Nothing Succeeds in Which High Spirits Play No Part,” (a quote by Nietzsche) measures approximately 5 feet x 2.5 feet and is comprised of 345 individual pieces.