Occipital and Afterlife

Occipital. May 4, 2024. 70 cm x 70 cm.
Materials: Chiyogami paper, wood panel, acrylic paint, gouache.

What do you see when you stare into the abyss behind your eyelids? What do you see in those moments before you open your eyes upon waking? Before you fall asleep? In those moments as the anesthesia wears off? 

This was the artist’s attempt to translate what she often sees while reaching further. into the darkest depths of meditation. As a young person she believed she could see beyond to infinity and find the answers to the universe down there. Sometimes she still does. As a child, when there was nowhere left to hide, she found solace in the darkness with its radiating, pulsing shapes.

The Occipital Cortex is a fascinating part of human anatomy, responsible for the images we see whether we’re awake or asleep, remembering or imagining.

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Afterlife, June 27 2024. 70 cm x 70 cm
Materials: Lokta paper, gouache, acrylic paint, glass shards on wood panel.

Made with Yudaki waterfall (Nikko, Japan) in mind, Afterlife is the artist’s representation of the (alleged) torrential rush of images and memories our un/conscious minds are hit with as we near the end, forcing us to reflect on every decision and action we chose in our lives.