Did I dream you dreamed of me?
Desire
How many times have you said to yourself‘I wish brains could take photos’
Are dreams the original screenshots on your mind?
Last week I had the craziest dreamI was standing in my home
My best friend was moving to her own place
I entered her room
Expecting it to be empty but it was full of another’s life.
Instantly I had a overwhelming full body reaction;
down my spine, in my gut, and tingling on my skin
This room was full of a strangers other worldly possessions and
I felt so intimately connected to them
Who the fuck was that?
A protector?
Did dimensions glitch and I entered my own bedroom
from a dream realm?
I did what anyone would do and texted my friend Sofiyah
This is a screenshot of her response.
In Islam they say your soul leaves your body
and explores when you dream.
I have been thinking about dreams a lot lately. Like -
are your dreams just your shadow trying to reach you?
In going through my old photos,
I realise my shadows have always lingered
throughout my art.
Following me
Patterned fabric dances in and out of perception –
knife skirt hypnotises
Speaking of glitches – this isn’t a dream – A painter Hiba Schahbaz
who lives in New York who has been painting portraits
that are just like me ... naked. It’s uncanny.
She doesn’t know who I am but I know who she is.
Now there’s a cult following of my friends in Sydney.
If dreams are your soul trying to reach you, well I am trying to reach her. To let her know she’s met me in a dream
Then through painting. It’s so strange that I don’t really mind if she notices me or not
Devotion
SURRENDER TO THE UNKNOWN
Something that can’t go unnoticed is the glamour of this mosque.This is the Shah Cheragh in Iran. It is covered in mirrored mosaictiles creating the most extraterrestrial form of prayer.
ACKNOWLEDGE INFINITE BEAUTY
Geometry is considered sacred in Islamic art,
depiction past this physical world
reflecting the language of the universe, the greatness of creation,
they say ...
Sometimes I reach this transcendent state
while dancing with friends.
Regardless of method dont we share the same core?
trying to tap into an experience of greatness, awe and wonder.
Discipline
I haven’t been making art in the last little while
When I do it’s for myself.
I’ve returned to painting
Something that brings me great joy, comfort and relief
All I paint are sexy monsters. Doing ordinary things.
It allows me to connect with my shadows in everyday moments
and remain humble in the mundane.
I am reminded that I am not that special.
And maybe that’s what makes it feel so transcendent.
