Artist Statement
My work is within visual arts using photography as the main medium.The work evolves around people and human nature. It is not just about beautiful imagery, but depth of thought and capturing the essence of circumstance. I interact/live with people and observe their lives. The way they work and play, I take their feelings, situations, lives and environments and turn them into visual representations of what has happened. It is essential for me to build a relationship with my subject and then I gain trust and respect which will ultimately produce a better image/work which is empathetic and will provoke emotion from a viewer. The entire image is important to me, not just the main subject. I have to show the situation. I see my practice as a tool which gives people the opportunity to communicate across social and ethnic divides.
The work has meaning or a message that is subtle and not obvious at first glance. The viewer will explore the work and discover further depth of the subjects that have been photographed. I am an emerging artist and my practice is developing in a way, where the work is not just about capturing an image, but how images can be used in different ways to convey a theme, emotion or understanding of human nature. I work with a variety of mediums including metal, timber, plastics, and resins. Children of the Revolution was mounted using chains and wire which helped with the mood of oppression and a restricted society
It is important for me to find contempory ways to display the images. Using materials that reflect the visual subject matter or underlying expression. Due to technological advances in photography and printing, I can copy images onto almost any material. I enhance the mood of the work by selecting interesting alternative materials to mount them, or devising ways to show them through digital media. This can turn the final collective work into an installation. Bustop was reverse printed onto clear vinyl and stuck on the clear panels of a bus stop, opening up the work to an entirely new audience but still allowing the bus stop to function as normal.
I have a varied and extensive photographic experience which covers a wide range of subjects. My creative practice has benefited from community based projects which have deepened my critical thinking and underpins my creative process.