My practice aims to be a sensitive, playful, critical reinvention of relational aesthetics. I see huge potential in the term, which can be used to describe art focussed on how we relate to one another through visual perception. I’m interested in the concept of the haptic eye, specifically the relationship between artist and subject which results from an ethics of tact.
I'm obsessed by the candid - unposed snapshots and real-life conversations. My process is to gather photographic material of people, situations etc. that capture my imagination, prospecting the effects of chance and appropriation. Then, through redaction/annotation/decoration I develop this raw content into fragmentary works on paper. Each piece in my portfolio is my impression of another's expression. This forms a view of a world of countless conflicting aesthetics (formed through nature/nurture) through the lens of an individual taste (mine). Idiosyncratic signatures such as sharp pencil lines and a specific palette contribute to my distinctive style.
I’m inspired by artists Marlene Dumas, Noah Davis and Sophia Al-Maria whose ethereal use of colour, composition, and figuration bears witness to, and tolerates, the complexities of human life. I’m also influenced by socially engaged film and video; favourite works include From Gulf to Gulf to Gulf (CAMP, 2013) and The Stroker (Pilvi Takala, 2019). As a result, the theme of collective responsibility is infused in my practice, reflecting my personal values. In literature, I identify with English, outward-looking stories like Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie.
My hope is that by drawing attention to the ideas surrounding relational aesthetics I can increase awareness and encourage the production of similarly touching, sometimes provocative, art.
Education:
Upcoming MRes Art UAL: Central Saint Martins
2018-21 BA Fine Art UWE, Bristol
Exhibitions:
Upcoming We Are Sorry to Inform You New Art City, Virtual
2022 PROXY Iklectik, London
2021 Picturing Lockdown Stradling Gallery, Bristol
2021 UWE Fine Art Degree Show Spike Island, Bristol
2021 RBA Rising Stars 2021 ROSL, London
2019 New Series The Vestibules, Bristol
Research and Writing:
2021 Gut Feelings TACO!
2021 Near and Far Camden Art Centre
2020 Undergraduate Symposium Visual Culture Research Group