Jian K.

Dreams are windows to our subconscious, the irrational and often surreal manifestation of emotions, perceptions, and our innermost fears, the unspoken thoughts. The face appears from darkness signifying my subconscious. As I try to verbalise and rationalise my thoughts, layers of my mouth are peeled back. Multiple hands, signifying my anxiety which constantly picks at my outer persona: my stability, attempting to discard the layers of my face, and expose my fears locked inside my subconscious.

Fragmented aims to explore how our dreams at night provide a bare manifestation of our thoughts, stemming from daily experiences and beliefs. Hands hover above the void, serving as a mirror to our subconscious thoughts which remain unspoken, attempting to replicate reality through disjointed fragments. The screaming faces reflect my urge to project my thoughts which are trapped inside my mind. The black is symbolic of the darkness during nighttime and our deep unknown unconscious.

Blink portrays the repetitiveness of having to wake up and confront the realities of our daily lives. This unpredictable nature of existence is signified by the narrow fractions of the face, reflecting the abrupt changes that can unfold after a single blink. The combination of closing and opening eyes signifies the passage of time, reminding viewers of the uncertainties we live through every day. The lines that extend from face to face reflect the inevitability of time elapsing.

This painting explores the intertwined roles which mould a child's perception and reality. The adult’s hands touch the baby stretching its face, symbolic of the profound influence in shaping a child. The overhead first-person view allows viewers to confront the baby directly but also establishes their role in the power dynamic. The baby’s direct stare is disturbing and confrontational, questioning to what extent does our natural tendency project ourselves on others. Red signifies both power, love and discomfort.

Imagined Reality visualises the state of anxiety in a moment of falling behind through the child tying a shoelace. The black and white frames consist of disturbing patterns which reflect the illusions from overthinking. The realistic depictions of hands and eyes obscuring the full view of the child signify how illusions seem to replicate reality, manifesting the panic of being unable to distinguish reality signified through the monotone surreal composition.

Duplicity offers an unsettling confrontation of the duplicitous facades inherent in most humans, signified through the two faces. The realistic face symbolises the mask we wear whilst the obscure face signifies the subtle nature of the duplicitous behaviour of individuals, which is not always clearly defined and unfathomable. The subtle blue and purple hues imply ambiguity whilst the shadowy background suggests our human tendency and inclination to hide aspects of ourselves.

Humans idealise and pine for an idealised non-existent past, suppressing reality. Nostalgia indulges oneself in the memories, moments in time we yearn to revisit. Warm hues evoke the glow and privilege of childhood, a vivid reminder of experiences we can never relive. In contrast, the grey monotonous face, exhibiting a complex blend of embodying regret, sadness, envy, or fatigue, gazes at the childhood memory, clinging to the past in an uncomfortable position, reminding us that we must move on.

This piece visualises how our memories fade alongside the passage of time. The clear images of myself, whilst my brother and my grandmother disperse into thin smoke, signify how our distinct memories are eventually remembered by their ambience only. The red hues capture the vivid nature of our cherished moments we yearn to revive whilst sepia tones signify the faded past. The holes and rips in the surroundings are symbols of loss and disintegration.

"What Did I Just Say?" examines phrases such as, “I’m just being honest,” “It was just a joke,” and “No offence, but...”– phrases that disguise cruelty behind a two-dimensional shield of virtue, are signified through the man’s defensive actions. The daily statements we make weave through the people in a twisted, endless line, tripping them over. The red text symbolises how the words that have already departed from our mouths remain intact in their abstract form, still capable of hurting or healing.

“Have I become the person I once envisioned?” Who I looked Upon invites viewers to reflect on this question by providing a bird’s-eye view of the process of a baby becoming a grown man. The tangled string between the images embodies the frustration of confronting the gap between expectation and reality. The red pathway and string signifies the East Asian Red String of Fate, that which we are destined to be and can not escape from.