Bathers Print

This is one of a number of paintings where I was exploring the symbolism of rabbits and flowers because I find their combination especially evocative, awakening in me memories formed during relationships relating to love and sexuality. My aim was to create paintings that would have a similar effect on the viewer. In order to find inspiration for this painting, I visited Orchids Festival in Kew Gardens. While sketching, the dark thin-petal orchid reminded me of an opposite body type of what I usually paint. Typically, I depict round feminine forms with pale skin colour but the flower associated with a black and skinny female body type. In the age of equality and equal representation, I felt motivated to develop this idea. In the search of a fusion between flowers and female body forms, I realised that there are infinite possibilities of how plant-like or human-like the figures could be. Here, I chose to portray the latter version. The two rabbits are depicted as voyeurs or even predators. After all, rabbits can eat flowers. Even though I depicted them in naturalistic colours and proportions, their position refers to human body language resulting in a cartoonish view. One rabbit is looking as if mesmerised by the beauty of the flowers/women, while the other is whispering something equally alluring. In my mind, the rabbit on the left is telling his friend about a plan on how to approach the flowers, just like guys would tell each other tips about how to ‘hit on’ girls. The figures in pale purple is another attempt to fuse flowers and female body forms. I often try to employ painting techniques that would give an impression of an actual object. I changed small flower buds into swirling lines and the result reminded me of snakes. While sleeping women can appear off-guard, snakes could indicate latent danger. Then I added smaller petal leaves to bring up reminiscence of the original flowers and the appearance reminded me of tentacles. These associations also evoked the look of Medusa from Greek mythology who is often depicted with snakes instead of hair. Those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. (To see images that I was referencing to, visit my Instagram ) The composition and colours of this painting refer to the long history of classical painting. Dark background was widely used from Caravaggio to the 19th century, and in this case, it created a dramatic effect, seriousness and tension, which juxtaposes with the playfulness of the scene and personified fairy-tale characters. In addition, the rabbits as voyeurs of the flowers refer to depictions of Diana and Acteon from classical mythology as well as the bathers genre painted by Old Masters such as Courbet, Cezanne and Picasso. More about ‘Flower and Rabbit’ painting series: An interaction between a personified rabbit and a flower/woman amalgam is rather implicit way to bring up human romantic relationships, yet it is a significant aspect of my paintings. Interpretations can be discovered by analysing each of them like dreams; that is if one shares Freud’s perspective that dreams reveal a subject’s unconscious wishes. In other words, according to psychoanalytical theory, we discover our desires by subjectively unveiling the seemingly bizarre narratives and symbols of our dreams. Furthermore, perhaps by searching for feminine expression in flower forms and the medium of paint, I am influenced by the archetype image of a woman present in the collective unconscious that was described by Carl Jung. I see my works as an allegorical expression of love, desire and sexuality hiding behind innocent fairy-tale-like imagery. I am aware viewers form their own interpretations from their own subjectivity, thus I avoid fixing any specific symbolic meaning to the motifs. In fact, I aim for an ambiguity, which allows me to have a conversation with the history of painting. There is humour to be found in the incongruity of a cute bunny with a flower in relation to the seeming dignity of fine art, oil on canvas and dramatic dark backgrounds after artists such as Caravaggio as well as the serene calmness of still life paintings by Chardin. This high/low clash is in part the subject of my work, which verges on being as pretty and sentimental as kitsch. While occasionally I do become sentimental about my romantic pictures, often I utilise kitschy features with a sense of irony which not only acts to liberate the image from the weight of high art but is also an invitation to playfully embrace human weaknesses. My attitude is similar to that of contemporary artist Jeff Koons who exhibits objects (such as his Banality series) derived from contemporary culture that are considered by many as repulsive and vulgar, yet the artist displays them next to other admirable works of art as if there is nothing to be ashamed of - no need to reject that which is part of the human condition. I realised that there are myriad divergent ways to describe human emotions through a rendering of rabbits and flowers, as well as portrayals of their interaction. I am particularly enjoying fantasising about these ‘dreams’ that are being enriched by an intentional dialogue with the history of painting and an inexhaustible potential of the medium. Price can be negotiated.