The Matter with Painting Painting

Rodin's work is marked by an investigation into the relationship between art and science, which is deeply informed by her background in neurophysiology. A recurring theme in her work is the link between the individual and the crowd, the notion of free will and artistic originality. Her interest in science not only influences her methodological approach to her artistic practice but also her choice of materials. These have ranged from labels to various numbering methods, archives, museum display cases, X-ray viewing boxes, macro-photography and microscope slides. Much as in scientific imaging, colour is often used arbitrarily merely to differentiate shapes and statistically denote the structural elements making up her compositions. Questioning the existence of free will, a position common to most neuroscientists today, Rodin's work essentially seeks to undermine the idea of artistic originality and the attached value system in contemporary art. While Rodin's work has an emotional engagement with the materiality of painting, she seeks to balance this by adopting an objective, process based approach marked by scientific and theoretical distance. Nina Rodin is currently studying for an MA in painting at the Slade School of Fine Art.