For the past two years, I have created intricate and autobiographical paintings by mining the archives of universities, libraries, museums, and public collections. The resulting paintings perform as active documents of my lived experience. Turning to a new phase of my practice, I turn to my own archive of paintings to produce works that exist solely in the digital realm. These new works function as archeological surveys, where new works cannibalize the old and uncover new perspectives within his practice. The works appropriate children’s book illustrations, advertising, art history and popular culture with a focus on themes of immigration, assimilation, climate change, xenophobia and social justice.
The new digital images that I have produced are a logical extension of my long standing painting practice but exist independently in both material and concept. The images are flattened, layered, and stacked, calling attention to the psychological space of borders, identities, and histories while utilizing my personal history as an entry point to discuss race, representation, and the memories of cultures and countries left behind.