Our inner hurricanes

I have written earlier about whether or not it matters if the artist and the viewer put the same meaning into a piece of art. I would imagine that the chances that our points of view match are pretty low. Back then, I mostly thought about it from the point of personal taste, experiences and perspective on life. But I did not pay much attention to context.

As we go through the pandemic, I keep coming back to my older works and begin to see something new in them.

For example, “Abyss” was initially inspired by the news following Hurricane Irma, where bodies of water were said to contain “brain-eating” amoeba. The amoeba is viewed from the top, with its “mouth” (represented in green) devouring nerve cells (red). In a way, this process is similar to a hurricane, which “swallows” everything in its way. The “mouth” of the amoeba is juxtaposed against the swirling waters and winds of the hurricane. The vortex force is present at both micro and macro scale.⁠⁠

While this piece is a bit abstract compared to others, I meant to depict each of its components in quite a literal way. But now I begin to wonder if it could carry a different meaning… Irrespective of what weather it is outside, the COVID-19 pandemic has made each of our lives into a hurricane. A hurricane of emotions, things to take care of, juggling work and kids… And sometimes it feels like it’s about to swallow us whole.
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But every so often it also reminds me of inner conflicts we have with ourselves. Sometimes our brains just get stuck on a series of thoughts that keep going and going in a viscous cycle and we don’t know how to stop them… we get in our own way…⁠⁠

How can we stop our inner hurricanes? How can we take the time to pause, breathe and appreciate the current moment? Whether it’s your child smiling at you or a small accomplishment that you can be proud of. As I wrote in my previous post, sometimes we just need to “feel this moment”.

Both “Abyss” and “Hope” are available for sale!

Not quite what you are looking for? No problem. Check out the rest of my Gallery!

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