Someone who has been heard all his life may not know how to hear, someone who has been praised all his life may not know how to fear, someone who has been hated all his life may not know if he’s dear and someone who cannot think for himself may not know where to steer. Somewhere, everyone is someone. You can always assume why someone acts or thinks the way they do but you can only get close to understanding them if you listen to them. Same goes for yourself. You can only understand yourself if you listen to yourself. “Inside” is asking you to do just that.

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I painted “Inside” using many layers. Like a topographic map, I used layers to paint the topography of thoughts. I’ve described it in more detail in “Genesis” and “Incubation copter” as to how I use layers to clarify ideas. “Inside” is also very Asian in aesthetic. It has flat perspective like traditional Asian paintings and is soft at the edges. There are no highlights or shadows hence, nothing in trying to replace anyone’s reality and I kept it this way as it is more welcoming to different perspectives. This openness creates an uncertain aesthetic judgement. Rather than “Inside” being made to appear beautiful or ugly it’s just very perceptive. “Inside” is also more abstract in its appearance and that is because it’s the way the painting naturally came to be.

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Another feature of the artwork is that it is digital. Though obliged to work in a digital space because of lack of access to the studio, resources and equipment during Covid-19 restrictions, the obligation didn’t take long to unmask as a possibility. I saw how efficient and forgiving the digital platform is and for a context that is so rooted on being human, an impatient and imperfect being, the digital medium complemented the artwork quite well.

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Tree of life, root of problems, branches resembling tributaries of veins; trees are almost like an ambassador to existence hence, I decided to paint their silhouettes on the outermost layer. The trees direct you to the ground below where you can see the network of layers, all painted in shades of blue to indicate the depth of understanding.

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Now, one thing that we all do is, exist. With existence comes many questions and thinking too hard about it could tempt us to not exist at all. Sarcasm apart, existence is a fundamental state of perception that we all perceive.  Which is why I painted “Inside” thinking about thoughts that we all could relate to. Thoughts that could provide a fundamental base for conversations to arise or conclude at. Better known as first principle thinking or simply, getting down to the root of things, “Inside” is a product of trying to decipher complex emotions or thoughts to indubitable truths in order to remove assumptions and see things for what they are.

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 All in all, “Inside” is a visual implementation of the concept, the inside or a function, rather than a form. It is the knowledge of being able to identify the facts in a sea of analogy, it is the conscience to our physical mind and to an archetype of a clock, it is the understanding of our relation to time.