Face is a face is a face is a face

I took on an exercise to paint the same portrait of my mother repetitively. This is done so by only referring to the previous completed portrait for each new painting. Since it is impossible to replicate an identical painting each time, the unconscious misrepresentations of the original portrait became a filter for the creation of the next painting. Because of this condition, the painted portrait loses the resemblance of its subject matter over time.

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The semblance and role of the portrait as a metonymy for the deceased draws reference to Susan Stewart’s The Souvenir theory. A portrait in the image of a person is limited by its realistic representation as it is unable to replace the real person but nonetheless, it is strongly charged as an object for the capacity to be used for varied motivations and desires since it will always stay incomplete.

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Face is a face is a face is a face participated in group exhibition — 'Happens When Nothing Happens' at Jendela Visual Arts Space, Esplanade from 14 July to 7 October 2018. The ongoing series was also painted on site during the exhibition duration, bringing the artist's studio and process to the gallery and its visitors.