"i live in a burning house"
"i live in a burning house" (2021) | 90cm x 120cm | acrylic, hand-dyed cotton thread on raw canvas
“I live in a burning house” visualises the feeling of experiencing anger and resentment.
This feeling lasted for a long time until I noticed having anger and resentment was only hurting me and no one else. But, even after becoming aware of it, it was hard to stop. I felt trapped in these feelings that were causing me pain. I started writing in my art journal trying to figure out how this felt in terms of imagery. It felt like my body was a house and I was trapped inside of a burning house. The flame was melting my body. There is a door to walk out, but it’s as if I’m choosing not to leave. Represented by the limp arms, I’ve given up while flames engulf my body.
I wanted to paint something that would help me get out of this feeling, so I replaced flames with flowers. There are many repetitive elements in the painting, and in a way, this repetitiveness was used as a meditative treatment for the anger and resentment I was carrying. Within a month of it, those feelings had been resolved. By replacing flames with flowers I replaced pain with conquest and achievement.
This feeling lasted for a long time until I noticed having anger and resentment was only hurting me and no one else. But, even after becoming aware of it, it was hard to stop. I felt trapped in these feelings that were causing me pain. I started writing in my art journal trying to figure out how this felt in terms of imagery. It felt like my body was a house and I was trapped inside of a burning house. The flame was melting my body. There is a door to walk out, but it’s as if I’m choosing not to leave. Represented by the limp arms, I’ve given up while flames engulf my body.
I wanted to paint something that would help me get out of this feeling, so I replaced flames with flowers. There are many repetitive elements in the painting, and in a way, this repetitiveness was used as a meditative treatment for the anger and resentment I was carrying. Within a month of it, those feelings had been resolved. By replacing flames with flowers I replaced pain with conquest and achievement.
