I Will Fall Asleep Here
Medium: India ink wash painting on 638gsm HP Paper. Finished and ornamented with white oil pastel.
Dimensions: 56cm x 38cm (unframed)
Year: 2022
Price: Please contact the artist
Description: "In my continued introspective studies, and the building of narratives which aim to give reason to my mind's troubles. 'I Will Fall Asleep Here' comes at a point in my practice where I can no longer cope with the vulnerability that comes with creating self-portraits, the constant exposing and prodding of my weaknesses has exhausted me.
So I chose through this piece, for just a small moment, to give up such artistic exploration. A moment to close my eyes, to rest and to heal, even if it means collapsing on the bathroom tiles right by the drain. I want to show in this story that nothing else matters other than the artist finally gaining some peace and long overdue sleep.
I want the public to question, what has actually happened to him? Why has he deliberately marked himself with white lines? Is it a sign of self-harm or is it the art of self-portraits taken to the next step, where his physical body is now the paper? Or is it yet another poetic unexplainable method he uses to soothe himself and his skin. I as the artist and the model can only request the viewer to empathise and be patient with what you see, because he too is trying to understand himself and his actions. "
Felipe Chavez
“I want to show how both making and being the subject of art affects me as a man and as an artist. It is a continuous journey of exploring my own body and the struggles that come with feeling different and trying to find where I belong – how by being completely open and revealing through my art, I can create a sense of power and control over who I am and who I choose to exhibit. My painting comprises different techniques of applying Indian ink onto paper, focussing on forming juxtaposing balances of ink wash and bold dark lines that reveal realistically shaded bodies in enigmatic and surreal environments.
Recently I have explored what self-portraiture means to me, challenging the relationship between ‘the model’ and ‘the artist’ by creating narratives where the male figures in the paintings, though all physically resembling the artist, take on separate identities of their own. Some live their life enjoying the exhibitionism of being watched by a man, others feel conflicted with the joy of feeling overly exposed and vulnerable, the rest simply continue intimately exploring their bodies unaware of being the subject of anyone else’s gaze.
My process starts with taking photographs, alone – this period of self-study then influences the subsequent paintings. Because in that moment, nothing else matters other than the artist and his creative journey. A new person is only invited into the space when they become the viewer, the voyeur within the finished piece. “