YOUR PORTRAITS COMBINE PHYSICAL FEATURES FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO CREATE ENTIRELY NEW IDENTITIES. WHAT FIRST DREW YOU TO EXPLORING THIS IDEA OF MERGING AND MORPHING HUMAN FEATURES?

What first sparked my fascination with faces shifting or morphing came from contemplating how we change with time. My spirit is the same conscience as when I was a child. Yet I look and think so differently now. My body is in a constant state of regeneration and so is my mind with the experiences I accumulated throughout my life. I wanted to try and depict this in my paintings.

I also really like combining friends and couples. In quantum physics there’s a theory called entanglement: “quantum properties of entangled particles are intertwined and cannot be described independently. They exist as a single, shared quantum state.” Once entangled, no matter the distance, the two particles act the same. When we become close to someone I believe this happens. Sounds funny to say: our particles become entangled. Including with our pets. Creating one person from two or more people (especially if they are close to one another) is a visual representation of their entanglement with each other.

YOU’VE SPOKEN ABOUT HOW OUR EMOTIONS AND IDENTITIES ARE CONSTANTLY SHIFTING. HOW DOES THAT SENSE OF VOLATILITY AND CHANGE INFLUENCE THE WAY YOU BUILD EACH FIGURE?

It’s a challenge I try to embody in many portraits. When I combine features I’ll often bring together one eye from two different photos… two different moments, trying to catch the shifting of time and emotion in one face. Or the shifting of two different people, two friends or partners vibrating together as one unit in one face.

YOUR WORK PLAYS WITH HOW WE RECOGNISE PEOPLE BY THEIR EXPRESSIONS, FEATURES, OR EVEN THE ENERGY THEY GIVE OFF. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS SAYS ABOUT HOW WE PERCEIVE ONE ANOTHER IN REAL LIFE?

People's faces changed over the course of knowing them more deeply. For good or for worse. There’s something about being familiar with someone that creates comfort (or discomfort) and alters how they appear to you. Something happens in the non-tangible that has an effect on the tangible only you can see. Furthermore, the life experiences one has separate from this other person will affect how they appear: we perceive and interpret the world and the people around us through the lens of our own life experiences. Life is a mirror reflecting back your inner world. Be wise with how you train your mind, what you decided to focus your energy on. The emotions and energy you put out into the world will be mirrored back to you through other people, other experiences…. through paintings.

YOU RECENTLY CREATED A WORK ON ONE OF 4BYSIX’S UPCYCLED CANVASES. HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE? DID THE SURFACE OR THE IDEA OF REUSING MATERIALS AFFECT HOW YOU APPROACHED THE PIECE?

Yes it did. Firstly, I loved the melted colors in the board, almost like a synthetic marble look. I wanted to keep it in my work, showing off the raw material as a border: a 2D portal into my 3D world. I’ve never painted on anything but linen and gesso board. I usually always stick to old school ways, so I was a little nervous approaching this piece. Painting is hard enough without figuring out a new surface! But I jumped in and decided to sand where I wanted to paint, to give my surface more tooth, then I primed it with Gesso. I was really REALLY happy with the outcome. Surprised with how happy I was. Now I’m thinking a lot about what else I want to sand and gesso to paint over! And quite excited about all the possibilities.

WHAT INTERESTED YOU MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH 4BYSIX AND OUR FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY, UPCYCLING, AND USING ART TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY CAUSES?

I thought it was really cool to be part of this initiative to repurpose. There is so much plastic floating around on the planet that will take centuries to break down if ever. And it’s a material that so easily can mold into anything. Why are we pumping out new one time use plastic items instead of trying to repurpose this material? I also think it’s great to support community causes. Especially uplifting the youth where charities like this can really make a difference in future paths a young person might take, which will then ripple out into their community. If we can help shape that ripple into a positive one, it’s worth making an effort for everyone’s future.

YOUR PAINTINGS BLUR THE BOUNDARIES OF IDENTITY, TIME, AND EMOTION. DO YOU SEE ANY PARALLELS BETWEEN THAT AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF DISCARDED MATERIALS INTO ART?

I think the concept of presenting art definitely overlaps with the idea of using repurposed material. Material that once was something else in the past is now repurposed into a vessel delivering messages of artists who spread their ideas about human existence, emotion, invisible forces of time, etc. A shapeshifting material with a past is now poised with the ability to shape and shift the minds of the observer: perceiving its new image and in turn repurposing their past ideas into new epiphanies.

YOU’VE SHOWN WORK AROUND THE WORLD FROM SYDNEY TO MILAN TO TOKYO. HOW DO DIFFERENT AUDIENCES RESPOND TO YOUR PORTRAITS AND THE EMOTIONS THEY HOLD?

I’ve noticed that no matter the country I get an array of reactions. Some are disturbed and have an aversion, some people crack up and find my characters hilarious, and some are in awe and find it beautiful and relatable to human existence. There is usually a mix of these responses in all countries. And I think with the world being so digitally connected, I’m able to catch the niche groups of people in each country who resonate with what I do.

THERE’S A HAUNTING YET EMPATHETIC QUALITY IN YOUR FIGURES. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A PORTRAIT FEELS COMPLETE, WHEN IT CAPTURES THE EMOTIONAL BALANCE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?

I really enjoy good craftsmanship. I think polishing the craft to a higher level elevates the idea to something believable, more puncturing, jarring and juicy for the eyes and mind to feast upon. The craftsmanship is what holds the viewers attention for longer, allowing new emotions in the face to unfold slower. Though sometimes, when I add too many details, it can be distracting from the emotion all together. Which I think taps into something even further: The idea that we are all just stardust. Possessed puppets made up of flappy, goopy, moving puddles of skin with feelings. So when I’ve captured the emotion just right, I see what happens when I push it even further.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS, COLLABORATIONS, OR DIRECTIONS YOU’RE EXCITED TO EXPLORE?

I have a group show coming up in Tokyo at Bridge Maguro Gallery. And I’m focusing on some new ideas with my work I’m really excited about. But I won’t say anymore about that because I’m superstitious and I believe if I tell anyone my ideas before I’ve done them my fairy gold will turn to dead leaves.

FINALLY, HOW’S LIFE BEEN LATELY? WHAT’S BEEN INSPIRING OR GROUNDING YOU OUTSIDE THE STUDIO THESE DAYS?

The last few years there’s been a lot of moving. Which is very exciting and fun and I have the fortune of immersing myself in different cultures, food, architecture… but it’s been difficult to find grounding. Right now I’m based in Krakow, an incredibly old city. Living among buildings built so long ago… really does feed my soul. Architecture back then was an art, something designed and built to raise our conscience higher. There’s a huge difference in how I feel walking around. The environment you walk among can either drain or feed you.