In my latest work titled “Toys” I attempt to explore the sensuality and curvature of the human body through inanimate objects in relation with the 5 elements of nature. The oval shape as well as the opening found in the center of the inflatable is a direct reference to the holes and crevices of the human body, which serve a dual purpose. They either discharge harmful substances to the body and or function as sensory receptors to external stimuli that contribute to the stimulation and activation of our cells. In contrast, the plastic and fragile nature of the inflatable signifies the endless relationship of human existence to the dipole of life and death, soul and matter, decay and corruption.
In the three paintings I have completed so far, I am experimenting with different imagery that either surface or immerse into the inflatable’s hole, surrounded each time by turbulent sea, generating different meanings through symbolic semiosis. In this particular painting a metaphor is being made between the act of balancing out animate and inanimate objects on a life float alluding to one of the main principles of sculpture with the current tumultuous socio-political climate.