The above images are the last and only images I took in studio and will be replaced with considerably better lighting and a slicker looking wall.
The process of painting these recent works as of the 25th of March was tedious. I took my time working into the gate inspired mesh underlying the plastic chair representations. The inspiration behind this work was sentimentally sketching a photograph I took when I was in India for the first time since I migrated. Plastic chairs are a recurring symbol in my childhood and through to my adult life. The red coloured chairs are a sort of neo-liberal capitalist symbol of modern India family functions, restaurants and part of other public gatherings. These chairs seem to have reduced "Asian" culture to this simple universal identity, and yet they have this strangely emotional affect on me. The red gate was also inspired by a photo I took in India around the same time. The accordion-like gates are collapsible and used by dairy owners and small shops as locks. This criss-cross pattern has been a recurring shape in Aotearoa. From curtain meshes to staircase patterns, these shapes have recently helped me feel at home here after almost 13 years since migration.
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