Artists Statement
Often inspired by literature, I am currently working on a series of paintings inspired by post WW2 poet and refugee Janos Pilinszky who wrote a poignant body of work on what he experienced. In particular I am responding to Pilinszky's Fable which is a haunting portrayal of a refugee; isolated and misunderstood, the refugee is symbolised by a lonely wolf.
My paintings are imagined landscapes which I envisage the wolf navigating as he searches for safety. Using oils on paper with mediums that by their very nature oppose each other, painted layers distort and separate. Strange, fairytale-like landscapes are pulled out of the random markings, and minute detail such as houses, boats and trees are painted amongst them.
Here influence also lies with the works of Chinese artists such as Quo Xi (1020–1090) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) whose landscapes are monumental and limitless, allowing for the eye to travel over vast lands, and for the mind to imagine even further beyond.
The landscapes move between dark and dreamy, reflecting the wolf's hope as he falls in love with a house. But he doesn't see the danger inside - the fear of the human inhabiting the house.
And so the landscapes are also permeated with signs of uneasiness and seclusion, and reference the plight of the refugee. Sunken boats, life jackets and clusters of tents among other telltale signs can often be found among the rivers, hills and trees.
The political content in my work is subtle; as with my response to Fable, the paintings themselves are intended to be evocative. A recurrent theme in my work over the years has looked at the forgetful nature of the human condition, how we repeat mistakes of those who went before us. By connecting Pilinsky's experiences as a refugee with the current refugee crisis, I want to question if we have actually moved on, or if progress has alluded us once again.
To read more on The Lonely Wolf, please click here.
My paintings are imagined landscapes which I envisage the wolf navigating as he searches for safety. Using oils on paper with mediums that by their very nature oppose each other, painted layers distort and separate. Strange, fairytale-like landscapes are pulled out of the random markings, and minute detail such as houses, boats and trees are painted amongst them.
Here influence also lies with the works of Chinese artists such as Quo Xi (1020–1090) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) whose landscapes are monumental and limitless, allowing for the eye to travel over vast lands, and for the mind to imagine even further beyond.
The landscapes move between dark and dreamy, reflecting the wolf's hope as he falls in love with a house. But he doesn't see the danger inside - the fear of the human inhabiting the house.
And so the landscapes are also permeated with signs of uneasiness and seclusion, and reference the plight of the refugee. Sunken boats, life jackets and clusters of tents among other telltale signs can often be found among the rivers, hills and trees.
The political content in my work is subtle; as with my response to Fable, the paintings themselves are intended to be evocative. A recurrent theme in my work over the years has looked at the forgetful nature of the human condition, how we repeat mistakes of those who went before us. By connecting Pilinsky's experiences as a refugee with the current refugee crisis, I want to question if we have actually moved on, or if progress has alluded us once again.
To read more on The Lonely Wolf, please click here.