I Am Because I was

The work is inspired from naturally scraped-off house paints from the walls of old shop houses in the orient. The process recreates this natural degeneration and involves the layering of paints that are purposely peeled-off or scratched from the top to middle layers to reveal the surface textures and colors underneath. In context, the painting reveals the element of the past as seen together with the present. In essence, time is trapped visually in the painting. The artist’s state of introspection is a necessary pause from life’s uncertainties while re-evaluating himself as a family man, artist, & academic leading to greater challenges and responsibilities.

The artwork not only re-examines the self but is inclusive of the people and the experiences from the most significant to the mundane. The artist’s goal is to reveal & enclose specific periods of his existence from the perspective of the artist's evolving identity.