Artist Statement:

“What if today is the last day I live?”

With what’s been going on in the world and particularly after my harrowing experience in a quarantine facility – seeing the thin line between life and death, this question has been on my mind ever since. It has sparked changes in the way I view life, the world around me, and myself. My practice and exhibition is a ‘collection’ of self-expressions conveying my thoughts and perspectives as I reach into the depths of my soul to answer this question. It has also become a documentation of my self-discovery journey as a young artist facing major personal disruptions while cultivating tranquility and positivity for the road ahead.

Experiencing challenging moments in life led me to find joy in collecting objects and materials that were already used or thrown away – such as plastics, fabrics, old newspapers, wires, broken plastic flowers, woods, and even a broken door… There was a sense of connection between my inner self and these objects  – being unwanted, unvalued. This urged me to give them a second life, bringing back their beauty, making them wanted and valued again. That was how I embarked on the journey of repurposing, upcycling, and turning the discarded into soulful forms of flowers.

Meticulous motifs of imagery, textures, effects, and colours created by using different media are the main theme throughout my work as a way for me to channel my emotions into visual elements. Through investigating the mark-making, paint textures to discover fusions of my visual language, I was particularly drawn into paint drip and splash effects. Drippings can be felt like tears and pain while splashes can represent a sense of uncertainty and chaos but at the same time, beauty. I deconstructed forms and shapes using mixed media to refine stroke effects and motifs, going as far as destroying the canvases’ surface to freely evoke emotions into my work. I developed the idea of incorporating such a 3D effect from collected objects combined with paint.

Living in a pandemic has taught me the concept of interconnectedness and oneness. My work is a projection of different fragments brought together during my creative journey as I explored different art forms beyond painting – including music, film… I found the interconnection of my upbringing to my emotions, the source of my feelings as well as how each of the art forms while being so different, share so much in common. There is that intersection in my work – where abstract expressionism and sculpture meet. Throughout my practice, I wanted to break free from conformity and not be bounded by any specific classification of work. The imagery in my work can take on various forms, just like how we all can have our own choice to be who we are, do what we love and be beautiful in our unique way. The spirit of my upcycled artwork seeks for more conscious, sustainable creativity as I believe “creativity is making marvelous out of the discarded”.

 

Follow me on Social Media:

• Instagram: @a.b.kei  –>  https://www.instagram.com/a.b.kei/
• Youtube Channel: A.B.Kei  –>  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqAXvL1Ow49N-DchjNRCUkg
• Facebook Fanpage: A.B.Kei  –>  https://www.facebook.com/A.B.Kei99
• Twitter: @ABKei2803
• Tiktok: @a.b.kei

Contact for work:

• Email: a.b.kei280399@gmail.com
• Direct Message on Social Media