ODYSSEUS

My latest body of work finds its genesis in a desolate shoreline, the fragments of overheard conversations that echo societal unrest. It began on a quiet beach in Kent, where I found myself fascinated by the sight of a deflated dinghy—a symbol echoing the complexities of the migrant crisis that resonates with the zeitgeist of our times.
 
Anchored in Homer's timeless epic, the Odyssey, my latest works serves as a prism through which to refract contemporary themes: place, identity, power and the human condition. By grounding these within an ancient myth, I strive to challenge entrenched narratives and provoke introspection, explore diverse perspectives and reimagine established myths. It is both a springboard for creativity and a lens through which to critique entrenched narratives.

Amidst all this intellectual exploration, I am reminded of the core paradox of painting. The act of painting is to surrender to the flow and relinquish conscious thought. In this space, I discover a profound liberation—an invitation to play, to engage, to transcend. This is where words yield to the language of colour and form, and where the journey itself becomes the destination.

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For more than two thousand years, Homer’s Odyssey has told of a man assaulted by storms, pursued by gods and enemies, straining always toward home. His voyage, marked by war and wandering, by perilous shores and uncertain promise, carries not only the stamp of heroism but something more enduring, more familiar and deeply human. These human concerns continue to rise in the waters of our own age. We hear it in the black boats, crowded with men, women and children fleeing the wreckage of war, the silence of ruined cities. These modern Odysseys tell of courage and survival, but also of a world where fate is no longer steered by gods but by governments, borders and other unseen powers.
 
In these works, the past and present entwine. The fragile craft of Odysseus drifts beside the black boats of now. The wanderer of myth sails on uncertain seas with today’s migrants. Their journeys become mirrors, reminding us that the same real human concerns, the search for dignity, for belonging is as urgent today as it was in the time of Homer’s song.