Ha-Jung Kwon

The Carnival, as theorised by Mikhail Bahktin, celebrates transgression and embraces facets of self that are ordinarily repressed or concealed. The Abject, as theorised by Julia Kristeva, refers to components of humanity that are rejected and met with horror. Postmodernity finds identity to be fragmented, performative and in flux.

In House of Mirrors, my representation of the psyche and self are informed by these philosophies.

In subverting conventions of space, shadow and line and rendering multiple yet uniform figures, I depict a disturbing and bizarre psychological space and fragmented and performative identities. The imagery in House of Mirrors is metaphorical and psychosexual. It is a cryptic representation of private, otherwise concealed, emotions and lived experiences of race and class. House of Mirrors toys with the triptych’s traditional usage as a narrative device and as a signifier of religious or sacred themes. 

House of Mirrors intends to be an enigmatic and equivocal representation of the psyche and self.