Messenger

The selected artworks from my body of work "Ghosts" do not merely depict the traditional idea of a departed soul, they seek to embody such entities as the Ikiryō of Japan, the Eidolon from Ancient Greece, or the Sleep Paralysis Phantom that appears during restless nights. The paintings attempt to capture the ghost of a memory, the ghost of the face of someone you have almost forgotten, the misty remnants of your own childhood, perhaps something you have tried to forcefully block out. Slightly parted lips withhold the answers to sudden online ghostings, where closure is denied. Ghosts can be seen as the restless souls of lingering spirits, but also the haunted parts of our own psyche. Our own fears and inhibitions pressing weightily on us. How often have we wished we could send a warning to our past self through the clarity of hindsight, or seek guidance from our future self on direction? Would we be able to interpret their advice, or be ready for their words of caution? What if the shadowy figure glimpsed out of the corner of our eye is not a spectral intruder or a trick of the half-light, but a messenger attempting to convey their wisdom. I strive to depict these intangible faces more as curious and persistent visitors bearing warnings or advice, trying to communicate their directives, deprived of the voice or words to do so.