The Binding Problem

Artist/Maker Matthew Ritchie (British, born 1964)

Date1996

MediumOil and felt-tip marker on canvas

DimensionsOverall (unframed): 86 in. × 8ft. 4 in. (218.4 cm × 2m 54 cm) Frame: 87 3/4 in. × 8ft. 5 7/8 in. × 2 1/2 in. (222.9 cm × 2m 58.8 cm × 6.4 cm)

Credit LineGift of E. M. Bakwin, Class of 1950

Object number2012.3.8

Not on view

DescriptionThe Binding Problem is part of the London-born artist Matthew Ritchie’s series called “Characters,” based on an extremely complex mythological narrative of his own invention, although it draws on biblical and historical traditions. “In my story,” Ritchie has noted, “a family of characters evolve who all embody uncertainty. . . . Collectively they go through a series of power struggles, unhappy relationships and incest and produce as their offspring the Watchers who represent the seven lobes of the human brain.” Names of some of the relevant areas of the brain—including “hippocampus,” “limbic system,” and “frontal lobe”—appear as handwritten inscriptions in this painting. The “binding problem” of the title refers to the phenomenon by which the brain receives a variety of stimuli and transforms them into a coherent experience of space and physical objects—a capacity to perceive the world that requires instantaneous coordination between different parts of the brain and that even neuroscientists do not yet fully understand. Ritchie earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Camberwell College of Arts in London in 1986; in the early 1990s, having moved to New York, he began to formulate his cerebral practice of drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation, of which he kept track in an elaborate chart as he went about his concerted attempt to “describe the universe.” His works reflect his polyvalent interests, which include philosophy, science, anthropology, and number theory. In addition to drawings, which he considers the key to his practice, he has created experimental works, such as interactive games, musical compositions, and digital animation. Although wrapped up in an intricate fantasy world, the true subject of many of his seemingly abstract works is information and systems, broadly defined. The artist made The Binding Problem early in his career, within a year or two of his first solo show in New York (held in March 1995), and it was included in the 1997 Whitney Biennial. (SOURCE: Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS, 2017)

Collections

Additional Details

Exhibition History 2017
Clinton, NY (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College). "Innovative Approaches, Honored Traditions: The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Five Years, Highlights from the Permanent Collection," September 9 - December 10, 2017 (cat. no. 121, illus.);

1997
New York, NY (Whitney Museum of American Art). "1997 Biennial," March 20 - June 15,1997.

Provenance 2012: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art) by gift of E.M. Bakwin;
? - 2012: E.M. Bakwin;
?: Private Collection, Ohio;
2006: Andrea Rosen Gallery;
...
1996 - ?: Robert J. Shiffler Collection and Archive, Greenville, OH.

Markings Labels: Andrea Rosen Gallery label with tombstone info and Whitney Museum label for 1997 Biennial removed from stretcher, retained with artwork.

Published References Katherine D. Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS: THE RUTH AND ELMER WELLIN MUSEUM OF ART AT FIVE YEARS, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION (Clinton, NY: Wellin Museum of Art, 2017), p. 264;

"Matthew Ritchie," PARKETT, vol. 61 (May 2001), illus. 161.

Signature Not signed.

Inscribed None noted.