At the start of this course we were given the task to create produce an artwork entitled "Alter Ego” in time for the morning of our second day.
The task utilised our art and design skills, particularly drawing on our own areas of specialism, to produce an art work that is two thirds our height.
Living outside of London, knowing I would need to transport the artwork quite far, as well as being rather tall at 6"1 this was a logistical challenge, however art is all about creative problem solving and I was able to build an artwork that I see myself truly represented in.
Alter Ego (2023), Luke Kandiah. Bleach on denim, 4x2ft.
This artwork draws from a previous project where I used bleach to paint negatively into denim, carving the meaning away from a familiar material, representative of social class, upbringing and values.
That previous project, Sōșita (2019) explored finding the hidden histories of the material, revealing images of the sweatshops that the items of clothing were made in. This element of social justice for exploited and disadvantaged children is as sewn into my own heart as it is into these threads. I grew up as an older brother to many foster siblings who have come from very disadvantaged backgrounds and difficult home-lives, my passion for teaching has emerged from a childhood of caring for young people, giving them a moment of sanctuary and connecting to them through art and so I chose this medium for the media that my artwork should be made of.
You can read more about Sōșita (2019) here: https://lkandiah.wixsite.com/lukekandiah/sosita
My Alter Ego, is riddled with symbolic imagery and deeper more personal meanings, constructed through a tapestry of identity.
The tapestry is formulated with 20 self portraits of my hands, each unique by the activities they partake in. Arguably second only to the face, the hands are the most expressive feature of the body. I have explored previously how it is not how we appear but in what we do that we find the most meaningful representations of our identities. And so this artwork echoes not only the medium from a previous work in 2019, but also a message from a previous self portrait I completed in 2018.
Here is a breakdown of the meaning of each of the 20 artworks:
Handshake & Balancing act
At the base of the artwork are just two pieces, these are my foundation of vulnerability. My hands shake constantly, and I'm not sure why. I have consulted with doctors and psychologists and achieved no answer. It has felt like a curse to pry me away from my passion to create artworks. However despite of this, I have learned ways to utilise my faults and work around them, even making complex balancing structures that you might assume require perfectly steady hands. The handshake represents me coming to term with this shaking hands problem, and the balancing act demonstrates to me that I won't find identity in my shortcomings but in how I act despite this limitation.
here are some rock sculptures that I have made:
Failure
The hand in the wristguard develops from this, showing that it is not limitation, but failure that I feel is an important part of my identity. The confidence to try to learn new skills, techniques and knowledge and not be afraid to fall allows me to always stay humble and inspired to engage with new ideas and experiences and develop myself.
Rhythm
There are two images of me playing guitar in this artwork. I play guitar for myself, and I also play guitar for other, such as in church or when teaching guitar. This image is me playing guitars to others and consequently this guitar is shown with strings, representative of a will to fulfil the wishes of others.
The hovering pen
While I can explain some of these, the power of the art is that which can be communicated beyond the written word, and so the meaning of some can only be described abstractly, but they are just as much woven into my tapestry.
I love to write, but I do not. The pen hovers above an empty page.
Longing
Like the outstretched arm of Adam on the ceiling of the sistine chapel, I feel myself ever reaching, for something within my reach but out of my grasp.
Warmth
Connection is felt most clearly through warmth, the heat of the coffee burns into my cold fingertips.
Affection
Hands communicate love across barriers.
Romanticism
The world is full of beauty that hands cloaked in plastic pockets cannot touch.
The watching eye
I feel immensely watched and yet I gaze further still.
The mouse
My hand reaches where it cannot. Settled, comfortable, immaterial.
The painter's hand
I am an artist, my reflection bleeds into my canvas.
Fist of justice
Art has the power to change and inspire change. This is another callback, to a painting I completed at the start of the Black lives matter movement.
Calculated surrender
The wooden king laid down at the foot of the fig tree.
Meditation
The guitar without strings. I close my eyes and a song appears as I drift into myself.
New world
The world is evolving, we must become more than ourselves to not lose our breath in the empty streets.
Reaching for culture
If I do not find belonging anywhere, then I will go everywhere to find it.
Connection
Our hands are designed to be entwined.
Prayer
Ant king. You believe I cannot pray with one hand? A prayer comes from the heart.
Closed book This text is unfinished, but I invite you to glimpse through the pages pried open by these hands
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