Art Verité Gallery

‘IN-SIDE OUT’ is a visual diary that serves as an extension of myself and my experience as an artist and individual. The collection is my response to, and interpretation of, the human condition. It draws from my observations of, and reflections on, both meaningful and fleeting, everyday encounters.

A vast majority of my work are made with mixed media, as there is nothing I value greater than creative freedom. Through mixed media, I am able to address different prevailing issues using a unique narrative that provides me with more room to express myself. The challenge that comes with manipulating different materials into one cohesive aesthetic piece is part of my statement. Every component is carefully chosen in such a way that it can help carry my message and commentary on prevailing issues that are facing society today.

The organic process I have always cultivated has drawn me to rust, both for its distinctive aesthetic and as a chemical process prevalent in the natural world. This is with regard to its versatility as a visual metaphor, which has endlessly fascinated me. In my artworks I utilize rust to represent our endless fight against time, our vulnerability to the temporal world and the transient nature of existence. Additionally, it has, in my opinion, always been symbolic of a purification process, a gateway to a new beginning.

If looked upon with a more pessimistic perspective, rust can also be indicative of the degradation of our social condition and human nature. So much so that it has become a taboo, and these rusty, worn and weathered surfaces and textures are often considered undesirable things from my observations as we go about our everyday routine in this urban jungle. Cast away, rust represent decays and deterioration, and also conveys strength – it is a powerful element that has seeped into this body of work.

In developing this collection, I continue to utilise a spontaneous and representational approach. My process heavily include markings, various procedures, techniques and combinations of different mediums such as oil, acrylic, graphite, collage canvas, ballpoint ink, wood stain and stencils, to name a few. I am challenged to further refine my visual language through unique and unexpected juxtapositions that add new layers of meaning to commonly held images. I aim for viewers to remove previous associations with these commonplace objects and images and open themselves to experiencing these materials outside its natural environment by presenting them as symbolic references to human behavior and traits of individuals. I aim to represent not only the physical state, but more importantly, the objects’ connection to life.