shen (神)
The installation "Shen" is a unique blend of abstract paintings and visceral sculptural forms, exploring spirit and materiality. It is inspired by the traditional Chinese Traditional Medicine concept of "Shen"—the spirit or consciousness connecting body and mind. Fragments of painted canvas, reminiscent of animal pelts or strips of flesh, are sewn together and suspended in midair, creating a corporeal tapestry. The raw canvas, textured with acrylic and latex paint, takes on a flesh-like quality, bridging the gap between my evocative abstract paintings and my exploration of visceral sculptural forms. My abstracts represent the “mind,” and the materiality of each form is the “body.” As viewers move through the space, the suspended forms shift and cast shadows. By intentionally leaving the raw canvas and primed sides of others exposed, I manipulate light and shadow, creating a dynamic interplay with the "negative" space on and in between each piece. The forms, as they stretch and slouch, give a new topography to my original abstract paintings, transforming them into more animalistic and meat-like entities.