The time I still wanted it darker, 2023, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 68”x76”
The time I still wanted it darker, Fragment
Lion's tail, 2023, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 76"x90"
Lion's tail, Fragment
Painting for me is a way to explore my mind-scape. In it I walk in the space between thoughts and images and discover its non-emptiness. In my paintings, bodies and landscapes arise and dissolve – projections of thoughts and images. I unfocus my gaze to allow painted objects and paint-as-object to coexist in one space.
How things withstand my gaze, 2022, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 100”x68”
How things withstand my gaze, Fragment
Words are central to my being, I grew up surrounded by books and stories. I’m fluent in three languages and I use all three to express my experience. Sometimes the meaning flickers in between them, sometimes words obstruct the experience. When I begin a painting, swarms of them buzz in my mind, so I write them out in scribbles without letters. I pile the scribbles until all words are gone. Accumulated on the surface of the canvas they convey nothing but the energy imprint of the moment that birthed them. The languages are broken up and blended into a soup of flying pieces. This soup becomes the foundation for my painting.
Time is the simplest thing, 2022, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 38"x46"
Words Don't When Mean, 2023, Oil, ink, and acrylic on canvas, 40"x48"
Sharkiya #2, 2023, Oil on canvas, 30"x36"
Feathered light, 2023, Oil on canvas, 30"x36"
Many of the works in this series are inspired by my practice of Kumbhaka – the yogic breath retention. Mastering Kumbhaka is considered in yoga an ultimate form of mind control. In these works I experiment with synchronizing gesture with breathing. I ask myself whether I could eventually make a painting in one breath's duration, and what will such painting be. This practice is in conversation with Bokuseki Zen drawing. In Bokuseki each word or shape is brushed within a single breath manifesting single-moment awareness, distilling one’s zazen practice into physical action and its aesthetic imprint.
Embrace and suffocate #1, 2022,Oil on canvas, 35"x40"
Embrace and suffocate #2, 2022,Oil on canvas, 35"x40"
Exhale, 2023,Oil on canvas, 35"x40"
Sharkiya, 2023,Oil on canvas, 35"x40"