This Apartment Print

Nikkie To was born in Hong Kong in 1992. She currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario as a working artist. The development of her work explores private human experiences within a larger societal context, specifically focusing on the individual’s physicality with the space around them. ______________________________________ Identity, cultural globalization and social constructs that form the basis of stigmas surrounding mental health and gender binaries are central to my work. My artistic practice explores opposing social concepts such as: cultural coexistence vs. assimilation, individual vs. communal experiences and spaces, and what we understand as regular vs. irregular behaviours. These paradoxes are approached through the lens of personal human experiences. I aspire to use master and counter narratives as a starting point to reflect on the course of contemporary culture and social structures, bringing attention to the core problems and the possible solutions. The stigma of mental illnesses and gender binaries are still so deeply embedded in our culture today; in my work I aim to reference some of these dichotomies. In our private moments of self-reflection we come to terms with all facets of our identity and that moment of contemplation that we have with ourselves is what I strive to capture. The figure and the human form are the focus of my paintings. They are often fragmented and place in introspective reimagined abstract spaces, creating constructed identities and environments. My audience become onlookers of these figures and can reflect on the vulnerabilities of the figures, themselves and of us as humans. I want to connect people with people. The images I create are a vehicle to raise questions about what we understand as reality, what is in fact a figment of our own creation and how we often misunderstand our own image of self. Although painting is my primary medium, I work with a variety of media as they connect with my ideas in combining abstract concepts and spaces with representational figures that allow the audience to enter the work from a range of vantage points. I use colour as a dominant stylistic element because of its symbolic connection to emotion. Collage is also a large aspect of my work; I feel that the technique aligns with my need to juxtapose often conflicting experiences and ideas. Many of the figures I create are formed by collaging different body parts together.