ARTIST STATEMENT
The colour red has complex meanings. I have called upon the viewers’ visual intelligence to detect love, passion, anger, gore, pain, intensity, power and location in my work. My narrative suggests feelings of innocence, intensity and pain by conveying this from a personal context.
Covering the subject in a white sheet and placing it in a vulnerable position, conveys the subject is pure, but also hiding and fearful. I’ve intended to use these emotions so viewers might be persuaded to relate to something similar. I remember as a child, surrounding myself with the covers to protect myself from danger.
ARTWORK PROCESS
I was first inspired to create this work by a haunting memory. I was always scared that someone was outside my bedroom waiting for me to go to sleep so that I could be taken. I was able to sculpt a curled up child using bath mats and then covered the shape with a white sheet to portray innocence but also fright. I then used a string technique which was inspired by Chiharu Shiota to wrap the bed frame in red tought lines. I wanted to communicate paranonia and how overpowering, painful and conflicting, invasive thoughs can be.
