Artificer | Tinkerling
Lexicon of a Dreamer's Mindscape
Even though there would be a sprinkling of old artworks, a sort of history if you will, I wanted the focus to be on two projects I had been working on that were mentioned but never overtly presented.
The first of which being a carved series of wooden swords, embellished with ornate features inspired by fantasy design. Though I see them as artefacts that would happily remain mounted on a wall, I was striving to craft something practical and balanced. What I had in mind when making them was the ability for them to be used in martial arts practice, qi gong, and dance. Not so much something you would spar with, but something that was fluid in motion, complementary to the body and a delight to practice with, moving through the air.
From the very beginning, I knew the exhibition would be a collection of a many varied forms of artistic expression. I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce myself to the community on the southern coast, having predominantly exhibited my works in the city.
I wanted the space to feel abundant and lively, a big splash of who I am as an artist. So this meant not only would I be producing new work for the show, but digging into my repertoire of previous works as well. Even though I would be calling on this back catalogue, it would give everybody here on the coast, an opportunity to see my work for the first time in the flesh. And for everyone else, an opportunity to see how my work had developed.
Secondly, I would finally be showcasing my collection of spooky masks. Having been working on them for some time I had begun to feel confident that a selection would be interesting, to say the least. Conceptually I find the subject of masks (relating to persona, identity and illusion) rich, and I hoped to, if not get people thinking about these ideas, at least spark a confrontation or intrigue into the use of them as an object of art. At the end of the day, if someone just wanted to put one on and run around having a laugh, that would be cool too.