Statement

My paintings explore hidden narrative and religious mysticism. They are imagined as devotional paintings for a yet-to-exist religion in the far future. The use of isolated imagery on unpainted linen is inspired by the Shroud of Turin and the fragmented ancient manuscripts of the Gnostic gospels. My work is also informed by childhood trauma, as well as the simulation hypothesis – the idea that we are living in a simulated reality.

https://kenmarart.com/

Where are you from? Did you grow up in a creative environment?

I was born and raised in California and did not grow up in a creative environment. I discovered my interest in art at age 22 while at university. Although I got a late start, I take comfort in the fact that Van Gogh didn’t become an artist until 27, and Haruki Murakami didn’t start writing until 29.  
Who or what has compelled and/or encouraged you to create your art?

Art comes from a feeling, indistinct and fragile, like a partially remembered dream. The attempt to capture that feeling is both fascinating and meaningful for me. I like beautiful and useless things, and I like naïve hope in the face of improbable odds.

What is the key topic or issue that your work addresses?

My paintings explore hidden narrative and religious mysticism. They are imagined as devotional paintings for a yet-to-exist religion in the far future. The use of isolated imagery on unpainted linen is inspired by the Shroud of Turin and the ancient manuscripts of the Gnostic gospels.

My work is also informed by childhood trauma. The images depicting children show them alongside grotesque caricatures and the artifice of simulacra.

Additionally, my process is informed by the simulation hypothesis, the idea that we are living in a simulated reality. This idea is unsettling yet fascinating to contemplate. When people attempt lucid dreaming, they try to become aware of when they are dreaming by looking for clues called ‘dream signs’. Similarly, if I am looking for ‘simulation signs’ as clues to a simulated reality, what would they be? Could the absurdities and contradictions in my life be clues that I am living in an invented narrative? Rather than a photorealist painter, perhaps I am a ‘lucid simulationist’, a simulated being conscious that it is simulated, who creates art with that awareness.

What is your biggest source of inspiration?

Inspiration is a tricky and elusive thing. I’m not really sure.  

If you weren’t creating art, what would you be doing?

It’s very difficult to maintain a long-term art practice, so I don’t like to think about what I would do instead. If I did, I would also have to consider the paths not taken.