Bright Futures
Through quick contours and eccentric sketches, TWOONE documents his experiences and interactions with people around the globe. Departing from the abstract symbolism as seen in his prior exhibitions, TWOONE now captures the diverse landscape of humanities psyche. The body of work, 100FACES, came to fruition through close studies of sculptures, fellow artists, contemporary cultural icons, and chance encounters. Going beyond directly representing his world, he taps into the psychological landscapes of his environment. Through his emotive style, he successfully depicts the essence of the individual, and further considers his own thoughts about the future of humanity.
Based on his instinctual perception, TWOONE considers these studies of 100 faces as metaphysical, psychological portraits. To provide a deeper description of each personality, his compositions utilize symbolism and expressive technique. Depending on the nature of each person, TWOONE references timeless symbolic representations of animals to expand upon the dichotomy of the physical and spiritual aspects within each individual in relation to nature.
To explore more deeply the structure and complexity of portraiture, TWOONE experiments with various techniques of composition and medium. He combines the systematic technique of western oil painting with the spontaneous approach of Japanese ink calligraphy. He remains faithful to his original practice of street art and graffiti as the medium of many portraits include aerosol— along with acrylic, watercolour, graphite and ink. Through this experimental, yet minimal approach, he is successful in rendering dynamic, yet realistic portraits.
Skulls are a reoccurring symbol TWOONE uses as he reflects on humanity. By stripping away the external layers of skin, ideology, nationality, and individuality, he excavates the commonality within all people—mortality. Looming over this collection of 100 portraits is a triptych titled Bright Future. While TWOONE is usually vague about the symbolism in his work, his intention with this piece is to provide a prophecy of the two paths humanity could venture down in the future. A central theme of a human skull flanked by two horses. One representing conquest with a laurel wreath, the other chained by weapons, ammunition and barbed wire, representing war. Layered upon the central skull lies an outline of a two headed eagle alluding to civilisation.
In a world of continuous progress, globalisation, discrimination, conflict, and political unrest, this piece, Bright Future, provides commentary on the two possible outcomes of the future of mankind as a whole— neither being very ideal. Although Bright Future offers a fatalistic and pessimistic prediction for the future, when viewed in context of the 100 Faces, TWOONE is referencing the parallel roles of the collective and the individual. Ultimately, hope and beauty arise from the spectrum in which humanity is portrayed within the collection.