The Angles of a Human Being

The interiority and exteriority of the human body has become a key interest in my work.  I am influenced by notions of family history and the inevitable bloodline, as well as the exploration of my own body through experiences of physical and non-physical health issues.

My art practice involves three different printmaking techniques and projects at any given moment, allowing me to dynamically alternate between projects without getting blocked.  Each technique shows a different approach towards my subject matter, the angles and perspectives of the Human Body.

The images of hands exploring skin introduce me to touch, sensation and the protective shield that can also be critical and painful. This is most expressive in reduction Linocut.

Secondly I explore the human face, which represents what an individual wants to have revealed. The face as a mask that we create, some faces are more translucent than others. The smoothness of offset Monotype works unless a person’s face becomes the mirror of their life. When every wrinkle maps out their struggles and hardships I chose black and white stone Lithography to depict them with as much detail as possible.
  
Finally I turned inward and began a journey to discover my body’s interior landscape. By including emotions, feelings and illness into my personal study, I developed textures and patterns through obsessive daily drawing. Each pattern is hand-drawn on Lithography plates and print in color in different combinations with each other until the results are fully satisfying.

Rupture

Due to my severe allergies I am consciously aware of my body at all times. Paying very close attention to how I feel has saved my life over and over again. In these situations I have learned that my body and my mind are constantly affecting each other. Our mental state can cause us physical pain, and physical problems will affect our state of mind. When I am having an allergic reaction and asthma attack I can help myself by staying calm and focussed and getting to my medication or a doctor in time. If I lose mental control and start panicking, my physical response gets magnified five - fold and my throat closes up even faster.

Some days I feel like my physical state is trying to rule my life for me, this is an ongoing internal power struggle. This conflict coupled with the wish of breaking out of these physical restraints creates anxiety and the feeling of being trapped. Despite this I believe that behind that bodily shell lies something fundamentally beautiful, peaceful and calm, but my body keeps me from reaching this mysterious healing place with-in. The wish to be able to finally access it freely and make it me, inspired the “Rupture” series of drawings on prints. There is a sense of claustrophobia and irritation that the grabbing hands are trying to deal with by tearing open the flesh and releasing the good.

The body as I know it to be true is beautiful, grotesque, spectacular and internalizes a mysterious universe that is me.