Roman
My work aims to explore the contemporary world through a childlike lens distilling complex issues down to their essence as a child might interpret them. The work includes societal critique, the importance of laughter, the appreciation of nature, and emphasizing the value of thinking outside the box. Children look at things as they are. They have an authenticity that adults do not, voicing everything that goes through their minds. Their perspective acts as a counterpoint to today’s deceptive marketing. My work often uses drawings with an imaginary feel to emphasize a child’s view, as cartoons represent a childlike perspective.
In my exhibition, I aim to present my childlike philosophy through a colorful style. Originally starting this art diploma course, I was focusing on classic 2D formats, which account for a third of my exhibition. Working with acrylic paint, alcohol markers, and spray paint gave me the opportunity to further develop my two dimensions media skills. This time spent in my comfort zone allowed me to play around with the contrast between my cartoon style and realistic figures, best seen in “Doodle Dive” and “World Wide Pressure”. As the course progressed, I started exploring and experimenting with a range of different uncommon mediums. For example, in “La Vie En Rose”, I utilized a pair of Converse shoes as my canvas, helping me understand how to paint on uneven surfaces. On the other hand, in “Funny Loophole”, a legal graffiti piece, I cleaned a dirty Parisian wall, exposing the inverse of one of my characters. This was an adventure in uncharted territory, as there has never been any documentation of this new art medium. The two main artists that have inspired me throughout the past two years are contemporary artist Kaws and Rob Lichtenstein. Kaws’s ability to create recognizable characters is fascinating to me, heavily influencing the piece “Laugh It Out”. On the other hand, Rob Lichtenstein’s use of vibrant colors and clean line art influenced acrylic paintings such as “Doodle Dive” or “Eyes Peeled”.
The exhibition area that I was assigned was a rather linear space on two parallel walls. Being right at the entrance of the gallery, my work is the first thing that the visitors will see when entering the gallery. I decided to set up my work in somewhat of a timeline manner. The first two pieces are acrylic paintings that showcase my technical skills and colorful style. Then, as we move on, the pieces become more experimental, with a clear intention of finding different ways of expressing my ideas. This can be seen with pieces such as “Funny Loophole” at eye level. Then, I chose to hang “That’s A Cicada” and “Eyes Peeled” due to their strong aesthetic coherence. Continuing, the viewer will be presented with paintings on objects, with pieces such as “La Vie En Rose”, a painting on shoes, and “Cheeze”, a painting on a wallet. On the other wall, the viewer can see my big 3D sculpture “Laugh It Out” on a back base and “Creativity”, an acrylic painting on a round canvas. I chose to have these two pieces on the other wall as they are both using different mediums than the rest of my work; however, they still strongly link to each other visually. This organization of work will show how my art practice has evolved throughout the diploma course whilst staying visually appealing to the viewer.
When interacting with my work, I intend for the viewer to take an insight from my childlike approach on serious ideas and issues. I want viewers to understand that there is a lot to learn from children, especially in their natural receptivity and ability to stay present, without fixating or stressing about things. My vision for presenting this body of work is to let the viewer understand my personal childlike philosophy through art.
Creativity (September 2023)
Water and acrylic-based paint on canvas board
40cm x 40cm
As a visual artist, music fuels my creativity. This piece aims to show the power of music on one's mind. In the center of the painting, we can observe a portrait of a man, with an explosion of my cartoon illustration coming out of his head. These illustrations are an attempt to visualize music. I chose to paint all of this on a round canvas to symbolize the mass production of music through vinyl records. This piece was influenced by the lyrical flow and storytelling of Kendrick Lamar’s song “Real”.
