Title: Hope

Year: 2021

Size: 727x606mm

Technique: Acrylic paint on cinnamon veneer panel

Description: Letters are a widely circulated tool for human consciousness to engage with the world. I use letters as a bridge to connect my consciousness to the object they represent. By writing, we deepen our understanding. By writing with my own hand, I connect with my body. I don't use a ruler or make drafts. When I am alive, I have many emotions and sensations (let's call them the little lives inside me), which show up in the subtle fluctuations of the handmade lines. As I write again and again, the initial meaning of the letters is gradually released. They take on a small life of their own and blend with the impressions, energy and essence of my intuition.
The roots of this work lie in the meditation I used to do on a daily basis when I was very young and weak. It was a way of freeing my consciousness from physical pain. I spent a lot of time feeling my breath, my heartbeat, the flow of my blood, and imagining that I was expanding and connecting with the nature around me, the earth and the universe.
Once I learnt to draw, I devoted myself to it. Rather than drawing, I used to draw lines and letters with a biro. I started to use colours intuitively at the age of 28, when I was exposed to intense sunlight at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, because colours are visible in the light. In 2021, I came up with the idea of using a cake cream spout to write letters in paint, which I integrated into my work. The series of paint letters has evolved throughout my life. Of course, it will continue to evolve. It is a unique work of art, created by me at that moment.
I wrote HOPE for the DE.MO exhibition. Please continue to have hope. HOPE is the bridge between the small life in me and the life in the world.