The Existential Self moves the focus of the practice from the structures of society to the individual more closely, using portraiture to investigate the formation and expression of personal identity. Across a number of interconnected series, the cycle explores the relationship between material and spiritual conceptions of the self, the tension between self-perception and identities imposed by external circumstances such as pandemic masking, and the conscious construction of identity through systems of cultural affiliation. Rather than presenting the portrait as a record of appearance, the works treat it as a site where belief, perception and social forces continually shape (and reshape) the experience of being an individual.
Whisper to Heaven (2012–19)
Veiled Whispers (2020–22)
Masked Identities (2020–22)
Brand New Self (2021–24)