under growth

as I write this post, I am looking forward to the opening of Vanguard gallery’s melancholy exhibition this evening. this milestone is the first time sbk artworks will be displayed in a gallery. with trepidation, i hope that the vulnerability of displaying the work is outweighed by the reward of finding like-minded people.

the two paintings on display, ‘nest’ and ‘nectar’ are part of my newest series: ‘under growth’. for me, the series has been a real-time journey of connection and healing. after a very difficult year, i was encouraged to spend time with nature to refuel and heal. rediscovering our place in nature give us perspective to remind us that we’re only one of billions of lifeforms, all here through coincidence, just trying to live.

after taking the winter to feel grounded, grow stronger roots and conserve energy for growth, I discovered that this simple idea is more complex. we often consider ‘nature’ to be a benevolent force. what we don’t consider so much is that, in their equally-valid drive to survive, other creatures can hurt us; ecosystems would quickly collapse without creatures who bite, sting and scratch. in the wild’s moral neutrality, thorns are there to protect a plant, not to harm you. our responsibility is to understand and respect their entitlement to survive, not as a resource for our wellbeing, but as a co-habitant of our world.

i hope you find something in the series that resonates with your own internal universe. for me, it has been a bid for connection to ask: do you feel this too? if you’re on a journey of healing, or discovery, or just trying to survive - it’s not always linear and it requires some navigation to take up the space you need on a planet we share will so many others. i hope you find what you’re looking for.