First Wave

In First Wave, red is objectified through space. It acquires volume and apparent energy, becoming something encountered in relation to the body. This Stratachrome extends the experience of painting into the space of the viewer.

The work brings the power of the sea into an intimate register of bodily feeling. Red’s association with blood gives the subject a physical connection and emotional power. Spriggs sought an encounter that could feel overwhelming and empowering at once. The beauty of the work and its ominous presence sustain this emotional tension.

First presented in a former fishing net warehouse beside the sea in Suzu, Japan, for the Oku Noto Triennale in 2021, First Wave connected with a setting shaped by dependence on the natural environment. Its reference to Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa also places it within a history of waves in Japanese art. Hokusai’s print has been interpreted in relation to contemporary fears of foreign incursions, giving the subject a resonance with the apprehensions of another era.

Created during the COVID 19 pandemic, First Wave takes its title from the language of successive waves. The word “first” carries the expectation of further events, leaving the work open to an enduring sense of anticipation.