Orenda Art Works is pleased to present Futurespeed Lion, a series of digital works by Elaine B. Chao. Each work began as an acrylic painting on 5"x7" panel. These paintings were transferred into Photoshop via a photographic process, and digitally edited. The editing was color-centric. Additionally, the paintings were mirrored for a symmetrical effect. The final step was adding an oil paint filter, titled RENAISSANCE and developed by designer Forefathers, attributing each work a simulated, oil paint texture. This texture is purely optical, unlike a material oil painting, which is tactile. The tactility of the acrylic paintings is translated digitally, captured by a photograph and processed by Photoshop. Though purely visual and immaterial, one can almost feel the slick, smoothness of paint.

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Like Chao's previous Textilia series, the works resemble textiles or insignia. 'Text' and 'signs' suggest meaning, but in these works, the meaning has been abstracted. The 'signs', 'symbols', and 'images' inside the works are up to the viewer to decipher and decode. Perhaps this is a reflection of the post-modern condition, in which the connection between signifier and signified have become lost due todiachrony. The title is a homage to the Futurists, who embraced the technological advancements of their era, just as Chao embraces New Media and the functions of image manipulation software. From the Futurist manifesto: "And we hunted, like young lions, death with its black fur dappled with pale crosses, who ran before us in the vast violet sky, palpable and living."

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