More of the sameâ â always a safe bet â familiar and predictable. So deep is the dependence on the âfamiliar and safeâ, that the choice by default is always that which has been previously experienced â âtrue and triedâ â a popular justifications! The consciousness however is forever expanding and morphingâŚit seeks new insights and new ways of beingâŚeven though the love of âtypecastâ makes one conform to accepted codes of decorum for fear of rejection. Need for validation curbs the capacity to love the self and others. These works, âIâm a lot like Youâ, âTiger Tigerâ and âDuskâ are mixed media paintingsâŚall of them done on reclaimed canvases, depicting a changed perspective simply from being rendered over an existing image â an existing story that no longer holdsâŚ
On another level, these works actually use type as a visual tool. The Arabic script of the title of âQuranâ, the Islamic holy text, words resonating William Blakeâs poem â âThe Tigerâ and words hidden in the negative space inside a shape depicting the national flag. Liberation and tolerance, âuntypecastâ is the common string in these works.
âSee Me
Feel Me
Touch Me
Heal Me
Listening to you, I get the music
Gazing at you, I get the heat
Following you, I climb the mountain
I get excitement at your feet
Right behind you, I see the millions
On you, I see the glory
From you, I get opinion
From you, I get the storyâ
Color Vision at the Umass Fine Art Museum I’m a Lot Like You, mixed media on reclaimed canvas, 36×36 inches @ Alfa Art Gallery, 2016