Inside-outsider Art

I am deeply inspired by the tactile process of creation—whether it’s sculpting furniture, designing tattoos, or my greatest passion, hand-drawn abstract animation using graphite and mixed media on paper. The work I make, however, is always in dialogue with technology. Tools like cameras, chisels, tattoo needles, and digital programs such as Photoshop, After Effects, and Dragonframe all contribute to my creative process. For me, the collaboration between person and machine is not just essential but beautifully symbiotic.

My journey as an artist truly began in my late twenties while studying at art school. It was there that I found my voice, unlocked my potential, and refined my practice. Now, over a decade later, I call Philadelphia home, where I create abstract works that deliberately obscure their meaning. My art often leaves only hints of its underlying themes, inviting the viewer to engage and interpret. Dark in tone, my work nonetheless always reaches toward light, embracing the contrasts between the two.

While I work across various mediums—immersive environments, multimedia art, digital content, sculpture, tattoos, and film—there’s always a deep sense of spatial awareness at the core of my practice. This foundation was laid during my studies in spatial design at Unitec in New Zealand, which continue to influence my work today.

My practice is also shaped by my personal history. Leaving home at sixteen to work as an apprentice cabinet maker in a factory in Auckland, I spent my teenage years immersed in the industrial capital driven machine of a trade in South Auckland. It was there that I first felt the suffocating effects of capitalism and inequality, a theme that continues to resonate in my art. As I watch the economic divide widen further in Philadelphia, my work serves as both a reflection of this reality and a form of therapy.

Throughout my career, I have contributed to the animation industry, creating work for notable artists such as Jay-Z, Beck, and Brian Wilson. My personal films have been shown at prestigious festivals like Cannes and Exground, and I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with fellow filmmakers whose work has received international acclaim also.

As a multidisciplinary artist with over fifteen years of hands-on experience in film, design, projection, and spatial art, I’m driven to continue creating for the second half of my career. My work remains deeply rooted in the exploration of space, light, and my lived human experience, always with an eye toward the future.