STATEMENT OF WORK

Through painting and printmaking, I investigate the tension between visibility and legibility. I treat the portrait not as a static likeness, but as a mutable form that remembers, resists, and refuses all at once. My practice explores how figures are constructed and perceived, working from both observation and memory.

A pivotal moment in my practice came through the silhouette installation Kinfeosioluwa and Modupe, where I used black plastic sheeting and framed color swatches to incorporate the viewer into the work through reflected imagery. This interaction between material, space, and audience sparked my interest in how figures could emerge or recede within color swatches, prompting deeper exploration into how legibility shifts depending on perspective.

This inquiry led to Ifesowapo II, an engraved print on aluminum created with an etching press. The figure is embedded within the surface, intentionally obscured. It emerges and retreats depending on changes in light and the viewer’s position. Here, I explore how subtle shifts in material and environment can affect perception, creating a dynamic exchange between what is physically present and what is emotionally felt.

Across both painting and printmaking, I’m driven by a desire to push beyond the comfort of representational portraiture. I’m increasingly interested in using color studies, texture, and material to evoke the essence of a figure without relying on exact representation. My process includes layering, sewing, and distorting the image to create moments of presence and absence. The viewer’s participation, through reflection, movement, or spatial relationship, becomes integral to how the work is experienced.