What inspired you to make these pieces into a series of 2 or more images?

 

My practice studies the subtle change of light in times. The paintings produced can be read as an observational study of shadow. The more paintings produced, the clearer my intention of painting shadow became. My practice aims to express the feeling of isolation and reflects an introverted personality. Without pinpointing any location, the work itself tends to stay silently humble. My work is sometimes viewed as abstract pieces of colour study. The subject becomes more apparent when the other paintings were displayed together as a series. Thus, my practice evolved into different series of paintings looking at various perspectives of light and shadow. Besides, my artworks are fairly small in terms of the scale. While considering the presentation of the work in real life, they tend to articulate the aim of my practice better than a single piece.
 

Do you think you would have made work about the home regardless of the pandemic?

 

I used to be an extrovert. I only spend a little amount of time staying at home. If there wasn't a pandemic, I doubt I would make any work regarding home since I was an outdoor person. The world outside my room was far more interesting than staying indoor. Being away from home, I do feel homesick, sometimes. Regardless of the pandemic, I might have done work surrounding my culture and my hometown back in Malaysia rather than making artwork about my psychological status.
 

If you were extraverted, what do you think your paintings would be about?

 

I was interested in figurative paintings, to be specific, painting portraitures. However, my portraiture work was lack of purpose. They do not speak much about the idea behind the paintings besides portraiting merely pictures of the human figure. If the emotion did not overweigh my interest in portraiture, I think I would continue to find a reason for making more portrait paintings. Still, I am pleased with my current practice as they articulate better with my theme than my previous work. I used to believe that self-expression has to be done by portraiting human figures, literally. Now, I do think my paintings about shadows speak louder than before.