What do you see in the the world?,I asked myself that question.

But first of all I wonder what I see in myself,

and not just in the mirror

Where is my dark side? 

Am I screwed up in my head or something, or is that how I was born?

Am I demented, or simply overjoyed?

If I have to ask, then maybe I don't know the answer.

THE GREAT BARRIER GRIEF

So it took me ages to get motivated to do more art on coffee cups. And this time I'm determined to come  back with a shiteload of cool stuff to show you guys!

These coffee cups are created for an exhibition/ fundraising event/ auction with the theme of "Building Bridges"- http://buildingbridgessydney.com/ .They speak about the refugee/ boat people issue in Australia. I wanna capture what it is like to be a refugee, the experience and journey they have to go through.

From the top left corner:
1/ The Great Barrier Grief: an image of a sinking, cracking boat with people hands reaching out for help. The boat is angrily swallowed by the merciless storm. The tittle comes from an album of one of my fave bands "Oh Mercy" (check out my older posts)

2/Inside the fence, where the red roses grow: The children are locked inside the fence. The fence is a symbolism for a lack of freedom for refugess in concentration camps, aka Nauru and Xmas Island. Inside the fence I show the craziness and the psychological  insanity for this lack of freedom.

3/The Asylum: a pun. Refugees are also called asylum seekers. In this case, a concentration literally is a horrible asylum.

4/Lost at sea: a red version of "The Asylum". In both cups, I poke holes where the eyes present in order to integrate pain and sadness.

5/The red one isn't part of it. I forgot to take a picture of my 6th cup,doh!!

6/ The Great Waves of Massacre: I appropriate Hokkusai's The Great Wave of Mt Fuji and Van Gogh's ''Starry Night" together to create the 'waves' which wrap around the floating dead bodies.

This is how they look like from the other way

Right now I don't have the cups with me since they're getting ready for the exhibition. But promise when I get the chance I'll take more photos of them. And new stuff, to be published,soon :)

            The Cafe Conversation #1 LONG BLACK

I remember back in summer 2010 when I first had the idea of drawing onto coffee cups to capture the essence of everyday life. I was enjoying a puff at this beautiful little cafe in Dulwich Hill (I was bludging school actually, tsk tsk). As I looked down to the white coffee cup in my hand, there appeared the potential of a white, pure canvas in the humble object itself. I started doodling and went to research the type of pens that would work and won't smudge onto the cups. Ever since the new hobby is found, I spend much more of my junk food money on lattes and cappuccinos than ever, just to collect the cups. The idea is that everytime I drink a cuppa coffee I will create a story from that cup with any event that's happening around or anything that inpires me.

Anyway just a funny story to tell everyone: I showed this idea to my art teacher and asked him what I could do to improvise on it. He told me to put sparkly glitters on them. So yeah, that's why I dropped out of art in year 12... haha

Long Black is the name of the cafe where I invented this idea. It situates in a little corner of Dulwich Hill; it is that very well-kept secret food pot where all the locals go to. They have the best, seriously, the best organic coffee ever and the staff are so friendly. I used to hang out here while having a lession off and had so many interesting conversations with all the good people in the world. As a regular customer, I did the sculptures as a way of saying "I love youu Long Black!". I like the simple graphic and rustic look on the cups since an overly elaborate one just doesn't feel very right to me. All I want to capture is the charming decor, the everyday feel of this cafe in black & white and the lovely people with their unique personalities. The work was shown on top of their cake shelf for awhile.

This is Stefan, the barista.

Yes they love pets. And students who don't go to class sneak out to chill here in the courtyard. 
Cough cough

Long Black's decor and menu

Jenny, one the 3 sisters who own Long Black. Such a sweet woman she is

Jenny socialising with her regular customers,mostly mothers and the local families.

Their commitment to organic food is something I really adore.

Yes their food is delicious!

This is Mary. When you walk into the cafe, she's the person that makes you go "Yep,that's the boss!' I love her powerful energy sometimes since she won't take any bullshit.

She sure does love her smokes!

This is Nancy.She bakes the most amazing cakes ever!

"Our food is made with 100% luv, please be patient"
I just think that is so right and it's the way food should be.

Nancy's yummo cakes

                                                 

OH MERCY

Yup, if you know this picture, mercy's on you :) For those who don't, it's the album cover of 'The Great Barrier Grief', a beautifully soft and touching ballad of Oh Mercy- whose music  and lyrics have inspired me so much in my art. Listening to 'Stay Please Stay' is like casting  a melodic chant; but only it makes me wanna dance (like those in the video); my thoughts blur away  in this hazy mist of peacefulness while I sync to the lyrics and the day just won't get any better.

Talking about art without mentioning about music is like making a cake without sugar-you  may as well forget about dessert? Art and music are biffles, it's all very Zen, and my post today  is fully dedicated for that. I've chosen  Alexander Gow, the frontman of Oh Mercy  as the best example of this beautiful art-music marriage. Also FYI, the cover on the album  you saw above is by Ken Done(It's Ken it's Done- haha) .In my opinion, when you have  a strong emotional connection with a song you will also form a connection with any sensual/visual  feature associated with it. Every time I listen to the album, the picture above appears in my head  and vice versa- hence I connect so much with the album and that abstract nude painting is  definately one of my favourite,evaaa! Anyway back to Alexander Gow. This is his essay about the beautiful marriage between art and music “Art is the thrilling spark that beats death.” - Brett Whiteley When I drop my bags and guitar cases at the Billabong Gardens Backpackers  in Newtown, I stare at the Whiteley print hanging on the wall. (They always give  me the same room). I’m thrilled. It makes me want to drink coffee. It makes me  want to play the guitar. It makes me wish I could convince the gorgeous  German woman staying next door to undress for me. I am thrilled.  (Listening to Leonard Cohen makes me want to do all of the above at the same time.) And if we ourselves lift the brush, the pencil, or the tape recorder, we are making  a record. We are trapping a moment of intense beauty, passion, grief or  everyday monotony - if we choose. This is the musician and artist’s greatest gift. He  or she is given permission to sing that thing that was too stupid to be spoken. Or paint  the German woman without her clothes on, despite never even meeting her.  Voltaire once said “Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.”  Anything too bold to suggest, or too romantic to whisper, can be sung. Something  too flawless or flawed to survive; something too relentlessly intoxicating, mercilessly exhilarating, can be painted. Or, at least we can try. The musician, the writer, is given the privilege of naming a song, of naming an album, of choosing the cover art. What a gift! He or she has complete control over their perception. They have  complete control. What luck! I understand my luck. I am lucky that some people like my songs. I am lucky that  Mitchell Froom worked with me. I am lucky to have a passionate and dedicated manager. I am lucky to have Ken’s painting represent my music. I am lucky that I get to name songs and an album, lucky that those titles will be spoken be others - real life human beings. I am lucky that in 100 years my great grandson will know that his great  grandfather adored woman as much as he might.  That is the gift that is my ‘immortality’ for artists and musicians alike. And I will not take  it for granted. Alexander Gow The pink heron, Brett Whiteley Art, life and other thing; Brett Whiteley "Let Me Go"-I'm a single man don't fuck up my plan Orange Nude, Ken Done Downstairs at the cabin, Ken Done "Drums"

THE HUMAN BONSAI

Hey guys, so this is my first blog. I dunno much to write here so I guess let's get the pics speak for themselves.

When I make art,I often don't think too much or dig too deep into the subject to find a meaning out of it. The brushstrokes, the shapes, ongoing events, time and my emotions speak to me of different interpretations of my art: drawing from the unconscious mind, portraying the ambiguous thoughts. Since I'm terrible with talking about my own stuff, everyone is encouraged to form their own opinions on what you see and your comments would be much appreciated to be shared. Dare I say it, my art is provocative, often cynical, socially challenging, ambiguous with a sense of fun and experiment. I'm not afraid to talk about most of 'touchy' subjects- questioning and fighting against sociocultural barriers is too much fun to back off. 

Here are a few key themes of my first project: "The Human Bonsai":

FEAR                

DNA/ HUMAN IDENTITY

GENETICALLY MODIFICATION

PAIN (and how we share it with each other)

GUILT/ SHAME

You Me Growing Old 4eva, and no-one will tear us apart.

I used to be a normal tomato tree. Now they make me into a dysfunctional human bonsai. 

The Human Bonsai-2 shoes. We hear everything from the winds.

I find my works closely related to ones of Ricardo Lanzarini -a South American artist who draws on the wall and into little tiny space( such as cigarette papers). His work is figurative yet symbolical and when you look closely at it a pattern will form. Go check out  Ricardo's tiny little work, now!

His ink drawing. Cute as heyyy

                             

Here's another one...nawww

The abstract landscape of mushroom blending in with the crowd creating a lot of confusing patterns

                             

hello I'm the saucy indigo
Indigo is my first favourite colour, not because it has 'indie' in it
and painting should be like squirting sauces, but you do it on a canvas

So cheers
and check out my stuff, soon