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There - where "I" begins
The central motif in my work is reclaimed brick. It embodies the multilayered entanglement of both the opposing and complementing aspects of human life on a personal level, as well as elements related to wider socio-cultural and historical contexts. An adverb “There”, in the exhibition title, does not designate a specific locality but rather a sum of all cultural, historical and points in time that influence formative aspects of an individual. The reclaimed, old, beat-up used brick can visually symbolize many elements that were ingrained over centuries and built-in to what we call one’s self or “I”. This series of photographic collages is a work that I created between 2013 – 2017. My point of departure is sculptural work – outdoor installations that I construct using reclaimed – century old – bricks. I set up these installation on various locations in Ontario such as Forks of Credit, Fraserburg, Toronto and Taylor Creek in East York. Then I take photographs of the installations and further digitally enhance them in order to complete the message that I wish to convey. My ‘brickwork’ is an exploration of immaterial – personal memories and the resulting emotion. Material symbols that represent one’s cultural roots and what one calls “home” are explored as well. These are not my nostalgic recollections but rather an attempt to express universal symbols inherent to many - sometimes seemingly different - cultures. Through work with reclaimed bricks I explore the notion of impermanence and our transitory existence. |
On a personal level, bricks symbolize security, intimate space, childhood home, and an ever-elusive sense of belonging to a certain place. Bricks embody dualities – strong yet impermanent, masculine yet feminine, building and demolishing etc.Through this work, I also explore how over time, influenced by spatial and time distance, our memories become altered and (re)constructed, distorted, sometimes outright even made-up. Not unlike the Rorschach ink blot test or kaleidoscope-like compositions, our memories of past times become reflections of our inner lives and introspections.
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