Waffle Burger (b.1985, Edinburgh) is a contemporary artist based in Edinburgh. She graduated from Time Based Media at Duncan College of Jordanstone, Dundee, in 2008 and a post-graduate painting course at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh in 2023. Recent awards include the 2024 Coward Grant Award, Post-graduate Residency at Leith school of Art, Edinburgh, the 2023 Leith School of Art Painting Prize and 2022 Tate Late Photography award, London.
Journey into an interior
Waffle BurgerOil and acrylic on canvas
Following on from her Burning Car series, where Burger painted cars from the video game Grand Theft Auto, Journey into an interior explores the subcultures of our digital age. A significant aspect of her process involves sourcing imagery from online archives, traditional painting, tumblr and art history. This allows her to weave together disparate elements, creating rich, layered works that resonate with the complexities of digital culture. Journey into an interior is inspired by J G Ballard’s 1973 novel, ‘Crash’, and the exploration of fears. Burger uses different mediums and techniques for the individual fear elements– slick oil paint for the crashing car, airbrushed acrylic for the aggressive dog and impasto oil for the pixelated house fire that echoes 90s computer graphics), to create a layered composition that feels digital.
Positioning this piece within the Richard Demarco Gallery becomes a visual nod to German conceptual artist Joseph Beuys’ 1974 performance I Like America and America Likes Me, where for three consecutive days, Beuys spent eight hours in a room with a coyote. This inferred reference connects Burger’s work to the strong history of engaging, dynamic art practice in Edinburgh in the 1970s, where Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys were prominent members.