Ask About Me
‘Ask About Me’ is a solo show that explores and depicts stories of cultural norms interacting with one another. The cultural intersectionality of various belief systems create an attraction and repulsion that are interwoven in our society. As societies continue to change, the narratives we tell ourselves change or become reinforced, manifesting different realities and trajectories of ownership.
Traversing the world has forged me onto multiple paths of self-discovery. Through that process I have danced and navigated through various cultural nuisances. The paths keep me nimble and pliable. I see homelands that become distant lands. Distant lands that become homelands. The cultural pulls gravitate me to people that radiate an energy and fire for truth and fearlessness that have stretched me.
The artworks created for the show reflects my interpretation of blurry norms and traditions influenced by people, places and events through the journey.
I choose to focus on the fire. And if you don’t understand. Ask about me.
Title: Ballerina Under a Starry Night
The artwork depicts Degas’ ballerina sculpture under a starry night. The Degas Ballerina sculpture and Van Gogh’s Starry Night are two iconic works of art that have inspired people from different cultures to contemplate and explore the meaning of beauty, art, and human experience.
Title: Going to Wonder
The piece explores floating through various cultures in wonderment. One can cultivate a sense of openness, curiosity, and appreciation for the diversity of the human experience. Through engaging with different traditions and perspectives, we can expand our own understanding of the world and our place within it. The beauty of cultural exploration lies not only in the discovery of new wonders but also in the potential for personal growth and transformation that can come from engaging with different cultures.
Title: View From Above
The piece explores the metaphor of planting seeds and being patient versus taking shortcuts that may or may not elicit the same views from above. Patience, perseverance, and a willingness to put in the hard work and effort are essential for achieving meaningful and lasting success.
Title: Ganesh
Ganesh is a Hindu deity who is widely revered as the remover of obstacles and the lord of new beginnings. Ganesh is believed to help people overcome challenges and difficulties in their lives, whether they are personal, professional or spiritual in nature. As such, he is often invoked at the start of important undertakings. The importance of Ganesh is recognized in various spiritual and self-help traditions throughout the world. This is because the idea of overcoming obstacles and starting anew is a universal human experience. By invoking the spirit of Ganesh, people are able to tap into a powerful symbol of hope and possibility, and to draw strength and inspiration.
Title: C’est Un Imposteur
This artwork is a reinterpretation of Les Almées (The Egyptian Dancers) painted by Paul Louis Bouchard in 1893 and displayed at Musée d’Orsay. Classical Western art often depicted the Orient in a distorted and inaccurate manner. These depictions were largely created by white artists who, in their Eurocentric worldview, imposed their own cultural biases, stereotypes, and trauma on the people and places they painted. This resulted in a legacy of Orientalist art that continues to influence the Western perception of the Other.
One of the most significant ways in which Western art distorted the Orient was through the portrayal of the people themselves. Artists depicted the Other as exotic and primitive, often emphasizing their perceived differences from Westerners rather than their common humanity. They frequently portrayed the Other as passive, subservient, and even sexualized figures, reinforcing the Western imperialist mindset that justified colonialism and subjugation.
Many of the paintings exaggerated the opulence and exotism of the Orient, furthering the notion that the East was an exotic and mysterious land of unbridled sensuality and indulgence. This approach was often used to justify Western dominance and imperialist expansion as Westerners were depicted as civilized and cultured in contrast to the ostentatiousness and backwardness of the Orient.
Moreover, these artists frequently perpetuated stereotypes about the Eastthat were not only inaccurate but harmful. For instance, many paintings depicted Muslim men as violent and aggressive while Muslim women were portrayed as powerless and passive. Such depictions reinforced stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam that continue to have negative consequences today.
This approach to art also reflects a broader trend of cultural appropriation in which Westerners co-opt elements of non-Western cultures for their own purposes. In doing so, they often strip those cultures of their richness and complexity, instead depicting them in a simplistic and stereotypical manner that reinforces Western power and hegemony.
These works distorted and misrepresented the people and places perpetuating harmful stereotypes and contributing to Western imperialism and colonialism.
As I stood and stared at this work, amongst others, I felt a sense of alienation and disconnection. Much of Western art focuses on the lives and experiences of everyday life, religious or historical events, or portraits at the exclusion of the Other’s experience. In addition, the style and techniques used in classical Western art emphasizing on proportion, symmetry, and naturalism may fail to resonate with the Other who come from cultures with different aesthetic traditions. Even subject matters dealing with themes of beauty, power, and privilege fall flat to the Other.
You paint me in your image and force me to believe in something about me that was never true to begin with.
This is titled C’est un Imposteur.