Leo
My exhibition aims to depict the concept of energy through different mediums as well as different interpretations of what the word means. I am deeply interested in the world of martial arts, and as I started to create pieces that depict this passion more literally, I gradually moved towards more abstract interpretations of the topic. In some of my pieces, such as Rush or Hook, this is portrayed quite directly through the figures that are depicted in the midst of motion, their energy captured at its peak. Other pieces such as the STRAYTJACKITZ series and City Of Dreams aim to instead depict a more conceptual kind of energy that has been restricted and is bursting at the seams, as seen by the rope or the explosions of black ink. Stone Guardian and Snatch instead aim to emanate a sense of energy through their pose and physiques. Snatch and Rush also have a symbolic element of the missing heads, depicting a single minded pursuit of something, which is also present in the piece Head In The Clouds. The feeling that I tried to create within my exhibition was a sense of movement. Each and every piece is moving or sprouting in some direction when you look close enough. The exhibition is in a fixed state of action.
Much of this exhibition is influenced by my own interest in asian art and culture. Many pieces have been created in ceramic or paint but these media have been explored in many different ways with individual pieces, such as the use of clay to make STRAYTJACKITZ and Snatch, with the former having been made into a ceramic and having an abstract shape, while the latter is less abstract and unfired. Head In The Clouds and Hook also share this difference created by the levels of abstraction between each piece despite having a common medium. My own love for movement and the body, particularly in the martial arts, can be seen in many of the pieces, most notably Snatch, which copies the pose of a wrestler, and Hook, which is a more abstract piece showing two figures engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Rodin and Michelangelo are two artists whose various depictions of the human body have greatly influenced my own interests and the direction of my work, as can be seen in my figure sculptures such as Snatch and Rush.
The space I have been given is a large room separated from the rest of the exhibition. This has allowed me to display my pieces in such a way that the audience can move around them, as many of them are 3D. This creates a greater connection between the audience and the work presented, as the space is more interactive than it would be if it were linear. I have presented my work so that the first things the audience sees are the headless pieces: Rush and Snatch. These two pieces are set against the wall facing the entrance to my room and are right in the middle, making them immediately stand out as the focal point of my exhibition. My larger, more unique piece, Hook, stands out from the rest of them due to its size and difference in style, which is why it has been placed on its own wall somewhat separate from the rest of the exhibition.
My intention for the audience during this exhibition is to give them a sense of energy and movement. Despite the pieces themselves not actually involving any literal movement, each and every piece is moving in some direction when you look closely enough. There is always some part of it that points away from itself as if in an attempt to break free. My hope is that this energy created by each piece will accumulate to create an overall sensation for the viewer.
Stone Guardian (February 2022)
Charcoal on paper
65x50cm
Stone Guardian is a charcoal piece depicting a Chinese statue made of stone. The statue in question is a Buddhist temple guardian, sporting a wrathful face and imposing physique and energy. Part of the right arm had already broken off and the mouth has degraded, despite how sturdy the material is. The lines in front of the statue are meant to be the bars that were in front of the real piece, which I chose to make thinner than in reality so that they do not obscure the image of the piece as much.
