Life surprises us sometimes. It appears when we reach the top of a mountain after a long climb. Or in the way plants and flowers bloom and grow undisturbed in unsuspecting places. Or in reaching the pinnacle of our goals and aims after much hard work and toil. Only to realize that there was nothing much to stress nor worry about in the first place. That we just needed to put one foot in front of the other. I'm delighted to announce that my work 'Ambidex' will grace the front cover of an upcoming comic book release. It's for the cult favourite, dystopian-noir-detective release called 'Bullet Gal', penned by a mate of mine, Andrez Bergen who lives and works in Japan. I believe the release will be a North American one and will be distributed for free. I am not sure how that will happen but I'm pleased that both front and back covers will feature my artworks. Growing up, I devoured comics and graphic novels. The visual language and storytelling amazed, perplexed and challenged me. It informed my drawing style, and I still resonate with it - to this day. There's nothing like observing and enjoying the fruits of hand drawn characters and worlds, which exist and comes to life in comic books. I was inspired by graphic novels like The Sandman (1989, Neil Gaiman, DC and Vertigo) and A Death In The Family (1998, Jim Starlin, DC Comics) and how these rarities were presented, marketed and executed. Totally grassroots. And epic. Of course, later on I discovered Ghibli movies as well as Japanese animes like Akira et al.
So I'm happy to contribute something back to the art form of comic publishing and to the creative people behind this industry. I'd suggest that you follow IF? COMMIX for the release of 'Bullet Gal : End Game' - If this is your cup of tea. I believe that if you feed your talent, it will in turn feed you. Take those calculated risks and reach for the stars. You may just make it with hard work and perseverance.
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'The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.' - Carl Jung The Scorched Earth Series was an experiment in 2020 (Covid time) to utilise mediums and materials which were found locally or within my environment. To find meaning from the materials and to form an expression. In the search for meaning, I have had to look within (sometimes at uncomfortable things). There was no holding back, fearing, and no use fighting with the materials. It served one purpose : to bring forth and to reveal what was buried beneath the work. To put things into order from chaos. The essence of transcendence and transmutation is chiefly about this process. A painting or a work is never finished, it is interrupted. We cannot foretell the future - Only alter our memories of the past to fit our narratives. To learn from the past, to sort and shift - is what the work was about. There is time, and there are the times where we do work. Work doesn't happen on its own. I spent about 6 months making these (there are a few more, stored away). These were made in times of solitude, distress even, but there were always realizations and insights. And then one day, the works were done. I was done. I couldn't add nor remove anything from the works. 'Untitled', 60x60 inches, Mixed media on panel, 2020 'Illuvium I', 24x24 inches, Mixed media on panel, 2020 In a way, they exist in this space as a culmination of the materials they are composed of. They are byproducts of time and space. A becoming of something independent. Something which beckons to be seen, felt, experienced. Why do these things exist? There is no logical answer to that. We can try to decipher it - But it is quite impossible. And we live with that knowledge and limitation as best as we can. In the works, I'm not seeking representations. There's a premise of design : What feels right. What feels wrong. There exists beauty in design, but there's always an undertone of destruction and chaos. The work goes beyond paintings. Layer upon layer was built up. And removed. There's an aura to these works. A spirit and aesthetic; like an old musty book. There's something there which you can't put a finger on. It's this, but it's also something else. The leaves were randomly placed. Just chucked on. It's an organic method of working. Nature is chaotic and we create order from it. I intended the work to be serendipitous. On a walk to buy dinner one day, I may find some twigs on the floor. On another trip out, I may see a bunch of leaves but I don't collect it. So it's through trusting this intuition that the materials came to be on the canvas. The works naturally happened through curation. 'The Sun, The Moon and The Stars of Our Interior Lives', 60x120 inches, Mixed Media on canvas, 2020 The work comes from a place of connection and communication with the creative spirit. Just being in a flow state. There were no concepts, no one telling me outright what or what not to do. Curation is about the need to file things. To sort things. To rearrange the context of things. To put order to things is what creation is about. The works are also about death and impermanence. It's about letting go. It's about remembering the value, emotion and feelings of those that have passed. Something new breaks through the cracks when I destroy a work or a painting. There is a sense of adventure. It's bravado. It's about questioning the status quo. It's about reaching further. Of diving into the unknown. Of tapping into the cosmos; The great provider. Life lends itself to more life. It's about giving fear the middle finger - saying You there! You are bullshit. I'm not afraid of you. 'Scorched Earth', 36x36 inches, Mixed Media on panel, 2020. Sold 'Heart Of The Matter', 24x24 inches, Mixed Media on panel, 2020 The work is about time. A moment, a space and place which I exist and am tethered in. The series is a recording of that. It's about dreams, fears, ruminations. Of checks and balances.
Dried leaves and cement talks about decay and destruction. It talks about our time on earth and how and what we are doing to impose or improve on that. With the materials, I wanted to transmute things. To turn things into other things. It's up to the viewer to define what exactly it is we're talking about. And that's life isn't it? How we all look at things from the past and how we construct narratives from them to fit our frameworks. It's how we reform memories and events in order for it to suit us. So we can move forward. In making sense of things. Without this capacity, we'd be annihilated. We learn, and we get better. There is a sense of history in the work. Things are difficult, before they are easy. 'Alchemist', 36x36 inches, Mixed media on board, 2021 (Sold) The work aims to raise awareness and highlight issues surrounding mental health. The need for support and care in this day and age is highly underrated, yet much needed at a time like this.
One of the main causes that afflict a person's well being - an invisible one - one that's not talked about or generally understood until recently; is the topic of mental health. It's our mental capabilities that endow us with thought processes that makes us unique individuals. All throughout my life, I've encountered cases of people who suffer from stress, depression and delusions. While people may receive support; psychosomatic ills remain prevalent in many cases and are almost always difficult, uncomfortable battles. It's my aim and prerogative to be in a position to help others. I myself have undergone various forms, stages and phases of depression - ranging from mild to severe. Having experienced this, I do not wish it upon others and I'm contributing what I can; my time, materials, ideas and energy towards the rehabilitation, support and recovery of my friends and peers. It's my hope that you too can contribute in your own way, be it in raising awareness, or just being there for someone. Alchemy is the transmutation of base chemical elements. The conversion of one physical substance into another. We are all alchemists, and I appreciate your support in making the world we live in a better place for all. 'There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen.' - Rumi |
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