Revelations 2 (2022) instantaneously contrasts our eyes—there is a strong red—aggressive and loud against the figure’s blue face. Thus, it seems as though it is an almost physical encounter between the two opposite primary colours: red and blue. They continuously clash and bleed into one another, giving a sharp jolt to the work.
The piece is immediate and in your face; the colour contrast and clashes bring upon the urgency of the thought that had been caught which led to the creation of the work. It is something that fades from consciousness and suddenly that gives the artwork strength. Furthermore, the figure in the work’s face looks curious while the figure looks as though it is recognising something – the viewer will never know. What is seen by the figure could be a sudden fleeting thought just like the vision that may have inspired the work. Something the viewer will not know.
Zipped Trip (Flame) (2023) sits a flame against a face. The face has a smile which seems exaggerated which gives it an unsettling feel- while the eyes have no pupils which takes away the familiarity of the human face. Perhaps, the figure sees things that we cannot or perhaps it cannot. Or perhaps it lacks a soul trying to take us to a nightmare or a place of chaos.
The face looking as though it’s fading into the background gives it a feel of decay which replicates itself onto the flame itself. Thus the flame has become organic- it feels alive and can change and combined with the unnerving grin on the face could indicate a tense journey within this dream. The painting does not give us a nudge on its meaning and rather makes us think and question whether the grin is warning us or is inviting us to enter this ‘nightmare’ or ‘salvation’.
Zipped Trip (Dog) (2024) has two figures within the work; a dog and a human head that is fused into the growling head of a dog. On the left, the dog is still and staring straight towards us- the eyes, hollow, fixed on us seem accusatory. While on the right of the composition- the fused figure seems to be trying to run away from itself and to tear itself apart. Both are screaming and the dog growling. They both look as though they are in agony and desperation.
Within the centre of the composition, there is a white square which exerts white to all sides cutting across the work. Inferring from this we can see that it suggests that there is a crack between the dimensions- of consciousness and within the subconscious. However, the crack doesn’t seem to give us a chance to escape but rather widens the rift between us, the viewer, and the possibility of understanding it.
Overall, the three works take reality and the subconscious and dismantle both entirely. They seem to be a place where there is fear, revelations, unsettling environments and the self seems to crash into each other suddenly. The viewer is cast into these environments without an idea of why thus creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability. We have been snatched into a space where we can no longer see comfort as an option and without any narrative- we are left on our own.