Exposure
Like many artists, my work involves some form of personal reflection and storytelling. My work is about contextualizing these personal reflections and stories, transforming them into visual art in the forms of drawing, painting and mixed media works.
Most recently, my reflections have led me to produce a number of series focused around the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. Homosexuality expressed in art has existed for ages, for example, in classic paintings like Lafond’s Sappho Sings for Homer done in 1824 wherein he chose to bring homosexuality to light in classical times. As a gay man myself, I realize the importance of bringing awareness to LGBT social issues. But it has not always been easy to use myself as a social pawn. I have come to realize that I can either hide from my true self or continuously expose myself, showing my “true colors.” In this series titled Exposure, these “colors” take form in fabric wrapped faces as well as hands that let the cloth flow freely.
This series contains drawings consisting of extreme contrasting values against a loosely rendered acrylic and ink background, large scale paintings with brush strokes using my entire body, and mixed-media transfers of celebrities that have made a conscious decision to come out of the closet. All of the work is coupled with paint drips that resemble the unraveling of threads and, as each thread unravels, so do my hopes as an artist evolve.
May we live in a society as friends (represented by the color yellow), enveloped with love (represented by the color red), not surrendering to whatever hatred our hearts may carry (represented by the color white). Let us not hide from who we really are, and expose ourselves for what it is worth. This is me, the gay man, the artist, exposed.
Most recently, my reflections have led me to produce a number of series focused around the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. Homosexuality expressed in art has existed for ages, for example, in classic paintings like Lafond’s Sappho Sings for Homer done in 1824 wherein he chose to bring homosexuality to light in classical times. As a gay man myself, I realize the importance of bringing awareness to LGBT social issues. But it has not always been easy to use myself as a social pawn. I have come to realize that I can either hide from my true self or continuously expose myself, showing my “true colors.” In this series titled Exposure, these “colors” take form in fabric wrapped faces as well as hands that let the cloth flow freely.
This series contains drawings consisting of extreme contrasting values against a loosely rendered acrylic and ink background, large scale paintings with brush strokes using my entire body, and mixed-media transfers of celebrities that have made a conscious decision to come out of the closet. All of the work is coupled with paint drips that resemble the unraveling of threads and, as each thread unravels, so do my hopes as an artist evolve.
May we live in a society as friends (represented by the color yellow), enveloped with love (represented by the color red), not surrendering to whatever hatred our hearts may carry (represented by the color white). Let us not hide from who we really are, and expose ourselves for what it is worth. This is me, the gay man, the artist, exposed.
