The mind is a cognitive faculty that houses the thoughts and consciousness of an individual. I was inspired by the metaphysical concept of mind­–body dualism that claims that the mind and the body are two distinct and separable factors. I have explored this dualism through psychological portraits, one physical and one non-physical, representing the impossibility of grasping the magnitude of our mind as it elaborates on itself continually. Thus, going further than biological knowledge, I challenge our perceptions of truly knowing those closest to us. I have used a mixed media approach to capture the complexities of the mind.

After asking others about the meaning of my body of work, I have come to realise that its true meaning lies within your subjective interpretation – whether it be the fragility of memory; how friends can become fragments of a past life; the lifeless homogeneity of everyday life; the loss of individuality due to the pressures of a conformist society; or something else.

My body of work represents a genetic comparison of my father and grandfather. The work’s overbearing scale consumes audiences, allowing them to ‘step into the shoes’ of two remarkable men and develop a personal connection with them. My grandfather was a shoemaker.

My body of work explores the theme of my own LGBTQI+ identity. I chose this concept because I am constantly re-evaluating who I am or who I could be in relation to my own identity as well as my place within society, and considering how these re-evaluations are affected by the people around me. I used monochrome black and white to challenge the perception of identity as 'colourful' subject matter, turning it into something basic, requiring viewers to look deeper into the work. My intent is to represent how important your identity is to yourself, and how it may appear multifaceted yet simple to those around you.

My body of work draws heavily on inspiration from popular culture: films like Mad Max and Transformers. Other influences include artworks by great artists such as Banksy, Kim Jung Gi and Brett Whiteley, as well as the heavily congested roadways of New South Wales. My artmaking processes were quite diverse, starting with large draft sketches on brown paper, then refining individual elements using digital means, and finally transferring each form onto card using pen and alcohol-based markers. I believe good entertainment leaves an audience with a lasting memory; the purpose of my work is to simply entertain, like a static, monochromatic action movie.

My body of work intends to visually capture the collective experience of individual awareness and presence of mind. I was interested in the concept of ‘sonder’, the realisation that every other person has a life as vivid and complex as your own. I began to experiment with Indian ink and its fluid, spontaneous nature to represent the psychological and emotional state of each individual. Each portrait demands contemplation by the audience: a time to connect and engage with the shared human experience.

Artworks create a visual verse, with its metre found in tone and its lyrics in marks; it is a verse that translates the complex and ever-changing narrative of life for an immeasurable audience. In recording places of significance in my own life, my body of work reflects on the silent, almost subconscious, relationships that we each form with familiar spaces. Just as a medium is built up on paper, so too are meaningful memories layered through the making of marks. This work is intended to reacquaint you with a familiar space; somewhere that has stirred an emotion or left a lasting imprint on you.