Perception of Art

My unyielding appetite for new ideas and new subject matter means my approach to art making is constantly changing. In the past year, I have explored many ideas to do with the divine and symbols that are associated with spirituality and awakening. Recently, I began experimenting with stencils and spray paint. This approach to art making allowed me to create artworks on much more industrious level, as I could make multiple prints using one stencil and vary certain aspects of the print. I used the Hand of Fatima, or Hamsa, as my initial symbol for the stencil work. This symbol is ubiquitous and has a variety of different meanings in different cultures but it’s origins are in Islam. It was believed to protect against evil and so was a popular ornament for people to wear on necklaces, hang as housing decoration and so on. The hand is the tool that created the artwork, so for me the piece is a reflection of the creative process. The lotus flower, much like the Hand of Fatima, has significant meaning behind it but originated in Buddhism rather than Islam. The intersectionality between these religious symbols was something that interested me and so I decided to make art that would signify this.