Sophie Hawkins
MA Fine Art
When an individual is uncertain of who they are, it may in fact be the perfect poisition to occupy when in search for a greater sense of the ‘self’. The freedom to choose who you are or who you want to be is defined not by the limits of the world beyond the physical being, but within the boundless space of ones own mind.
My practice-as-research explores the relationship between visual methodologies, painting and drawing, and lingiustic interpretations, written observations, when navigating my own understanding of the self. The idea of ‘Asymmetrical Dualism’ in the format of two paintings positioned as ‘opponents’ stems from my lived experience as a non-identical twin and boxer. The difficulty of always being seen as ONE OF TWO has had an immeasurable impact on my personal and psychological development as an individual. Carl Jung wrote “wholeness for humans depend on the ability to own our own shadow” - What if you were or had a living shadow?
The structure of a diptych presented an opportunity to embody two identical objects with the same visual aesthetics and materiality. Using a boxing narrative these symmetrical opponents were challenged as individuals. This exchange or ‘sparring’ or movement of ‘matter’ between two objects has become an effective method used to understand if the ‘thought’ of one object could determine the ‘thought’ and ‘action’ of another. It identifies a fundamental truth of the self and further questions if an object has an autonomous state and therefore be considered “a-thing-in-itself”?
