I made love to myself
in the mirror, kissing my own lips,
saying, "I love myself,
I love you more than anybody."
Alan Ginsberg
Black and white photographs exploring the challenging notion of self love. Rather than viewing the mirror as a direct reflection, I was intrigued by the idea of it serving as a barrier between different versions of the self.
if i am the longest relationship
of my life
isn’t it time to
nurture intimacy
and love
with the person
i lie in bed with each night
Rupi Kaur
AI-generated portraits exploring self-acceptance and love, focusing on redheads who, like myself, have faced teasing and sidelining. The images depict redheads falling in love with identical versions of themselves, aiming to represent any feature or group that may be ostracised.
No rules to follow, no laws to break
No bars to hold us or separate
No one to tell us we can't kiss or touch
I don't just tell you 'I love you' - I show you how much
But eventually the game must end
My eyes must open, and reality sets in
But someday soon - I'm not sure when
I will close my eyes and play my game again
Stanley Oguh
In prompting these “AI sculptures” I aimed to create virtual relationships or love affairs between two objects that had never physically met. The objects used in this series were actual found items.
My mirror pieces, dating back to 2015, were a bridge between my nihilistic self depricating work and a new sense of optimism. While the initial mirrors were ironically and often comically pessimistic - “How did this happen?” - “Nothing turned out as I hoped it would” - “Aim Lower” - “Can I rewind and start again?” eventually other works emerged that embraced a notion of self acceptance and self love regardless of the negatives, such as “I love this Motherfucker” and “Fucked up and Fabulous”.
Messer’s Mirrors, hand etched vintage and antique mirrors illuminated with LED lights, have featured in numerous exhibitions, including a one man show at The Lights Of Soho in London, a commissioned installation at Victoria House in The West End for The Other Art Fair and in “Looking Glass” at the Cornell Gallery in Miami, Florida. They can also be found is several private collections around the world.
yes
it is possible
to hate and love
someone
at the same time
i do it to myself
everyday
Rupi Kaur
Self portrait “photo sculptures” created by folding, scrunching, twisting and hammering images of myself.
Paradoxically, the ability to be alone is the condition for the ability to love
Erich Fromm
As a child I was metaphorically bound, gagged and worshipped. I was put on a pedestal - incredibly important - but without a real voice. A silent God-like child.
Is wrapping a from of bondage and imprisonment or is it a type of protection and preservation?
who taught you
to unlove yourself
so sweetly
that you actually thought
it tasted
good?
—Alex Elle
Mixed media works rooted in the idea of escaping from this thing called “me”.
I am interested in the interplay between innocence and experience, in the loss of innocence and the corruption of what is pure. My curiosity arises from my own childhood, in which I was forced into the adult world at too young an age.
I am also interested in the paradoxical nature of the adult/child experience and the peculiar sense of status it sometimes engenders.
During the first lockdown I began making ephemeral “sculptures” inspired mostly by comments made about me during my childhood. I like the quirky and defiant feel of these structures, a playful “fuck you” to the world.
This body of work began in 2013 when I started to write on found objects and photographs connected with my childhood. Exploring memories - some painful - some funny - I found the process of defacing precious objects strangely liberating.
I also secretly hoped that making these personal and confessional pieces would bring about a connection and intimacy with an audience - an intimacy I longed for.
how you love yourself is
how you teach others
to love you
Rupi Kaur
Drawing on my background in theatre and performance these videos reflect similar issues to my artwork in a more performative vein.