Self-Refraction Series

This body of work stemmed off from two basic premises: One, that we, as human beings, tend to have unique perceptions of ourselves that are deeply held and affect our behaviour; Two, that these perceptions are not necessarily reflective of reality, nor are they static. My work aims to explore the gap between the two premises – the gap between self-perception and reality – the evolution of self-images (as they diverge from or grow closer to reality), and the transformative power that they possess.

As water is fluid, adapting and/or absorbing elements of the environment it passes through, I use it as a symbol in my paintings for our interior environment. In this (mental) environment, particularly within the context of a digital and globalized world, we continually have to sift through an abundance of information – useless, valuable, harmful, positive – in order to arrive at ideas about ourselves and our world that are well informed. It’s much easier to be water, to absorb rather than to question, to obstruct rather than seek accuracy. Perhaps it’s a desire for comfort or a life ruled by fear, a simple unawareness or mindful evasion. In a need for clarity, these paintings explore varying states of “self-refraction”.