Materiality
Romuald Hazoume / Benin b.1962 / Nest Violeta 2009 / Plastic, porcupine quills and fabric / 29 x 28 x 27cm / Purchased 2010 with a special allocation from the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Accession No: 2010.009 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Romuald Hazoume/ADAGP/Copyright Agency / View full image
Artists use different materials and techniques to create meaning in their work. These materials can be natural, recycled, digital or handmade, and can carry cultural, symbolic or personal meaning. Looking closely at materials can help us
to understand how and why an artwork was made.
The materials and techniques involved in an artwork are often used to categorise them or to group artists by discipline (painting, sculpture, textile or video, for instance). Materiality goes beyond categorisation and into the realm of creating meaning; and artists can embed layers of meaning within a single object or material. In an age of mass production and environmental concern, they may deliberately choose to work with recycled, ephemeral or digital materials to reflect urgent global issues.
Finding meaning in an artwork does not require a deep understanding about its physical attributes, but an understanding of the artist’s intention can be deepened through an observation of the materiality of their creation, which can carry important symbolic, cultural or conceptual information. Many contemporary artists move freely between mediums and techniques to best convey a message or establish meaning through researching and sustaining material traditions of importance to their cultural heritage. The materials that make up an artwork can also reveal information about how an artwork has been constructed. Exploring a work’s materiality can raise questions about the decisions or actions an artist made when experimenting with or manipulating the materials. Consideration of material attributes is part of how audiences might evaluate the quality of an artwork and the level of skill demonstrated by its creator.
On an elemental level, materiality is associated with texture. How an artist manipulates texture can create a range of formal attributes through which an artwork can be described. Where texture is consistently smooth there will be a sense of uniformity or harmony, whilst an artwork that sets up a juxtaposition of textures (smooth and rough, glossy and matt, rippled and flat) could create contrast or points of emphasis. Another relationship between materiality and texture is the use of pattern and repetition to create the illusion of texture. For instance, dark and messy charcoal can be skillfully worked into a detailed drawing of plaited hair, while bronze can be sculpted to imitate rope. The example of a drawing of hair could be appreciated on a purely formal level, while the relationship between bronze and rope may evoke questions about the artist’s intended meaning.
Colour must also be considered when discussing materiality. Materials have inherent colour, which an artist may choose to retain or alter depending on their intended use. Preserving the original colour can reveal the material’s history and character, inviting viewers to reflect on its origins and past uses. Conversely, altering its colour can introduce a new layer of meaning, shifting how the material is perceived and placing it in a new context.
Activities
Activity ideas for younger students
- Have students work in rotating groups to create large-scale structures using cardboard boxes and discarded materials. Set up designated stations around the room, each containing a different selection of boxes to present a new creative challenge. At each station, students collaborate to build forms such as cities, towers, homes or abstract structures — using only the materials provided (e.g., cardboard, old sheets, fabric strips), with no tape or fixings allowed. After a set time, reset the station and have students rotate to the next.
- Using a clean milk carton as a starting point, students create their own imaginative creature by adding materials such as chopsticks, skewers, aluminium foil, hot glue, fabric and textile strips.
- Collect lids of various sizes, shapes and colours. Have students work collaboratively to create an image based on a chosen theme, such as ‘Under the sea’, ‘Favourite foods’ or an environmental message about plastic waste.
- Introduce collagraph printing by having students paste a variety of textured discarded materials (e.g., smooth card, corrugated cardboard, aluminium foil, fabric) onto thicker cardboard backing. Once dry, have students roll paint over the block and print to explore texture and pattern. Students can further transform their prints with paint once printing is complete.
Activity Ideas for older students
- Students photograph or collect samples of materials in their environment — natural, synthetic, recycled — and research their origins, uses and sustainability issues. They then create artworks that respond to these stories, reflecting on material value and impact.
- Students design tactile collages that focus on contrasting textures by incorporating at least five different materials, such as fabric, metal, paper and natural elements. Encourage them to make these works interactive, inviting viewer engagement.
- Challenge students to create small artworks using unexpected materials,
such as string portraits or cardboard jewellery.
Glossary of cognitive verbs
Describe
To give a detailed account of the features of something by identifying and communicating what can be seen, heard, felt or otherwise sensed. In relation to works of art, this includes visual elements such as colour, shape, line, texture and subject matter, as well as other perceptual qualities such as sound, movement, scale, spatial presence and materiality.
Analyse
To examine the parts and features of something in detail to understand how they work together. In relation to works of art, this involves breaking down visual and sensory elements — such as colour, composition, texture, sound and materials — and considering how they work together to create meaning or effect. It also includes identifying techniques, processes and relevant contextual influences that shape the work.
Interpret
To draw conclusions about the possible meaning of an artwork, considering the artist’s intent and the viewer’s own ideas and feelings.
Evaluate
To make a judgement about the quality, effectiveness or impact of something, based on criteria or evidence. In relation to works of art, this includes assessing how successfully the artist has used materials, techniques and elements to convey ideas or achieve an intended effect, as well as considering the work’s originality, impact or relevance.