ALTERNATE SIDES ART PROJECT - AYUB

“AYUB” - Acrylic paint on modular wood blocks. 10 x 14” assembled. 2024

“This is Ayub from Bangladesh. He works at the Halal food cart by the subway station near my home. In the haze of the summer heat, Ayub quickly put together a delicious meal for my family and me. He was so pleasant that I felt comfortable enough to ask if I could take his picture to create this painting. He lit up and was visibly excited about the idea. ‘Really?’ he asked, as if astonished. He took a moment to straighten up, then posed with a proud expression on his face.”

#alternatesidesartproject 

#portrait #portraitpainting #academicart #contemporaryart

ARRANGEMENTS

4/30/24

On the nature of arranging:

(Connected to Alternate Sides Art Project)

I arrange in ways where there is a certain amount of space between objects. I try to feel how much energetic tension exists within this space and to bring the object just up to the point of tension but not beyond that. 

A consideration is, how does it affect the arrangement if the objects are fragments of a whole vs whole object within themselves. Does that change the nature of this energetic tension that exists within the space. Perhaps that is a rhythm or a vibration whose frequency is defined by the space between the pulses. 

Secondly, another consideration is the number of iterations that can be generated given the objects. For each object added to the source collection, this introduces a new exponent for iterations. It is very much like calculating probability based off of variables. 

When selecting which object to start with for a new iteration, I select with intuition. Where does the energy lead me. Is this based off the visuals or the actual presence of the mass, or a combination of both? Then each successive object is added in relation to the whole. It is like a road that is constantly unfolding one step at a time. 

Within my project, the objects ie wooden blocks with a painted image are arranged with a play of making sense of images vs disassociating and making an arrangement based off of sensory information. 

But what happens when the object is not an image. What if the object is an actual object that has its own material properties. Does one still arrange based off of visuals or energetic relations or both? 

These are considerations for exploration and do not necessarily need to have answers immediately. 

(Pictured here are sea shells that I have arranged in my garden)

1 hr later: I have just made a further realization. I have been making arrangements of this nature my entire life. If I sit a table somewhere, let’s say at a diner, I will be compelled to arrange things in front of me energetically. That is, based off the tension, or lack of, they create based on the space in between the objects. I may place and point the fork to my left a certain distance from the plate, and similarly the knife on the right side a certain distance and direction. I do this with furniture as well, I guess that is unknowingly a sort of feng shui. Although present in this project, it was subconscious. From this point forward it is conscious. 

ALTERNATE SIDES ART PROJECT // MAMÁ

It has been roughly a year since my mother had the last of 3 brain surgeries. Neither before nor after have I ever seen her waiver from optimism and faith.In a recent conversation with some amazing fellow artists, I was reminded of the Japanese practice of kintsugi. Broken pottery is repaired with gold so that the breaks are accentuated, highlighting the beauty in imperfection.“Kintsugi…is a reminder to stay optimistic when things fall apart and to celebrate the flaws and missteps of life.”

When the brain tries to make sense of an image that is out of order or in fragments, it is often referred to as “gestalt perception” or “gestalt principles”. Gestalt psychology suggests that the brain tends to organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes rather than just seeing them as separate parts. This involves processes such as filling in gaps, recognizing patterns, and perceiving incomplete shapes as complete.

ALTERNATE SIDES ART PROJECT // SELF

Modular self portrait from observation - Acrylic on wood *

Building myself back one step at a time. 

#painting #portraitpainting #contemporaryart #academicart

ALTERNATE SIDES ART PROJECT // GROWING UP - first iteration

This is the crux of the new direction of the work. Impermanence, flux, and interaction. My original composition is just the seed to the work, creating the launchpad for others to participate and become a part of the project. Different perspectives, different rationale, different reflections, different perspectives. The work is always evolving, and is never exactly the same as the original form. Only documentation provides proof of the work as it was in any given form, because there is no one solidified form.

Sketching at the Guggenheim

Spent the day visiting museums. Took a short pause to sketch some sculptures by Edgar Degas at the @guggenheim . Loved the raw and unpolished texture of them. The scale was fairly small but expressive. I got quite a few compliments on my backpack that makes it really convenient to sketch on site. It’s a fishing backpack with a built in seat frame. Hope everyone is having a great start to your week. 

CONTEXT BLOCKS - A SERIES OF WORK IN FLUX: first iteration

This is the crux of the new direction of the work. Impermanence, flux, and interaction. My original composition is just the seed to the work, creating the launchpad for others to participate and become a part of the project. Different perspectives, different rationale, different reflections, different perspectives. The work is always evolving, and is never exactly the same as the original form. Only documentation provides proof of the work as it was in any given form, because there is no one solidified form.