Artist Statement
Title: All that I leave behind.
The theme of my project relates to the concept of death, the impressions we leave behind.
Impressions from how people who know us remember us after we are gone, and how If I was gone, how I would want to be remembered, and that even though we are physically gone we leave traces of ourselves behind – DNA. My friend’s know me as an outgoing expressive artist, but know little about my traditional heritage – which unknown to them, plays a big role in who I am, even though I have been away from my culture for 30 years. I have created 6 Plates ( each plate a diptych – 1x photograph & 1 X A3 drawing).
This work has been created in 2 parts :
Part 1- performance sculptural relief represented as digital photographs – to use my entire body in mark making, and Part 2, using personal hair, fingernails, hands, fingerprints for mark making as a sign of DNA – to symbolise traces we leave behind after we are gone – represented as drawings.
Four images represent me as I physically am and as my friends know me.
Four images represent my attachment to my traditional culture crafted from childhood memories of tradition.
Four images represent traces of the idea of who I might be after I have gone.
The props were laid down, paint mixed, and painted on by assistant, then I lay in the grave with assistants pressing my body for imprint. Using baby powder was a suggestion in the case the painted body didn’t leave a strong enough impression – print. Then it was quickly out of the grave and into the sea to wash the water soluble paint off.
Materials : – Japanese Calligraphy Ink, Pastels, Lead Pencil. Tools for Mark Making: – Finger nails, Hands, Fingers, Fingerprint, Human hair
Materials : – Japanese Calligraphy Ink, Pastels, Lead Pencil. Tools for Mark Making: – Finger nails, Hands, Fingers, Fingerprint, Human hair
Materials : – Japanese Calligraphy Ink, Pastels, Lead Pencil. Tools for Mark Making: – Finger nails, Hands, Fingers, Fingerprint, Human hair