J Valenzuela Didi
J Valenzuela Didi was born in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in 1977. The self-taught Brisbane artist draws on the emergence of patterns and geometric shapes to explore common scenes and signposts of modern life. In his paintings, familiar urban landscapes become haunting and alien reminders of the beauty and character of the present-day.
Artist Statement
In my artworks I use urban spaces and commonplace objects to explore the transience of life. In the works I want to show the glorious splendour in everyday life and the melancholy that accompanies the awareness of mortality.
I draw inspiration for my artworks from family photos, life-drawings, road trips and magazine clippings. I manually or digitally collage, manipulate, and rework these sources into fluid scenes. These preliminary sketches are used as references for artworks in paint, a medium that allows me to develop and enrich my original concepts.
Through this methodology I like to draw on the emergence of patterns and geometric shapes. I endeavour to reduce my work to these base elements. Through a method of deconstructing and rebuilding an image I hope to reveal the beautiful and abstract characteristics of commonplace objects.