Dialogue. Six works for a residency at TESA, Taiwan. March - April, 2020.

I had this idea about masks and screens, and how humans use these in a metaphorical sense to potentially disguise our true selves in front of others. For me it didn’t matter exactly what these screens would look like, because it doesn’t concern me what humans look like. What I am concerned with is the texture of the person, what the individual is made of.

The use of gold came more into play as a reference to the notion of what is precious. Sparing in places, the viewer is invited to come closer to experience this precious element. From further away one will catch this element from the corner of their eye, which was my way of commenting on the nature of humans. We must get closer in order to appreciate the precious aspects of others. The pieces became progressively more gold, the sixth weaving featuring gold in full across its surface, as a contradiction to this concept of these limited elements of “precious”. I did this because I see covering ourselves completely in a shiny surface can be taken as both a form of disguise, and as a status symbol. We have been socialised to believe that hiding behind a glossy veneer can strengthen our individual notion of identity.

During 2020 “normal life” was being challenged. I was pondering how society might change from this collective experience. I was hopeful that with all this time being offered to us, we would use it to slow down just enough, to search for the “precious elements” in one another, and hide less behind our masks of contemporary living. We all seek acceptance, but can only find true friendship when we allow others to see who we truly are on the inside.