PETRA CORTRIGHT

Considered a pioneering figure within the ‘Post-Internet Art’ movement, Cortright’s distinct practice centres on the creation, manipulation, and distribution of digital files and images. Endlessly modifiable, at a “decisive moment” they are translated into objects. Her files become finite, yet their range of motifs and marks, disorienting perspectives and dimensions, suggest dynamic change. After the early recognition of her work in video, Cortright’s digital engagement has expanded to both painting and sculpture. shot silk wave star weep crush jet win focuses on her painting, across specific substrates: canvas, aluminium and wood. Here, the digital is immersed with both the coldness and warmth of materials, where the texture of each surface plays an important role.

In these paintings, there is an overarching nautical theme, where the ocean is fragmented with abstract elements featuring intense brushwork, while others remain still and simplistic. Cortright holds a deep love for the ocean — or more specifically water — and her longing to return to live alongside it is represented by the windows or portals seen in these works, which frame the views she pines to have outside her own domestic window. This view is both calm and stormy. It presents a collision of optimism with an underlying melancholy that seemingly always persists since the devastating Los Angeles fires in 2025.

Within shot silk wave star weep crush jet win, Cortright presents paths, some to follow and others to be wary of, but all with depth and intrigue. They overarchingly lay out an environment of fragmented beauty and darkness, desire and caution.