I’ve often sought clarity in ferocious cycles. When my mum died 6 months ago it sparked one such cycle. This particular loss sparked a vivid game of hide and seek.The question of ‘who am I’ or rather ‘who am I being’ came up in greater frequency and intensity, as thoughts of my child hood floated by mingling with what I’ve grown to think of as ‘me today’.The work you see here was made with this question in mind, along with all other related questions like how can I see with more clarity? who amI pretending to be?

\Why do I dislike Valentine’s Day? I don’t have the words for the outcome of these thoughts but I frequently find them in the pictures I make. And the short sentences we call artwork titles.In showing this body of work I hope to learn from observers who may have the words for the pictures I made. Exhibitions have come to feel like an AA meeting where I (often) also acquire 1 or 2 penpals. People who for some reason keep in touch with me via email or Instagram, and some even visit in person. I have come to see this as the reason to have exhibitions. A workshop where someone who mainly thinks and feels in pictures meets people who can think and feel with words. The result is often better clarity, for both parties.As for the upside-down bum, it’s what I’ve always referred to Valentine’s Day as. A comical ‘public holiday for the heart’ to remind us that we have one. As if matters of the heart can ever be about 1 day, or 1 hour or even 1 minute. We are one big throbbing heart, with multiple limbs of hopes and desires, a good dose of excrement, and a connection to something a lot larger than ourselves.

​

​..and then there's Mark,

5 years ago a friend said ‘hey you should check out my art teacher’s Instagram as his art reminds me of yours’. When I first looked at Mark Braunias’ work, I experienced an unmistakable feeling of nostalgia and deep friendship towards a total stranger. He grew to be a friend and mentor. When we were not talking about art, he talked about The Beatles a little too much! and the music he loved. He decided to grumpily join Spotify, which, I encouraged. He rapidly added his favourites to a list and just as quickly as he started, he stopped. He frequently joked about artists and their ‘tricks’. “Hey Joi I know your trick, big googley eyes, look I drew some eyes like you do LOL. When he suddenly died before Christmas last year I painted all day to this music list. And once again felt that deep connection to the person who made the,pictures I feel I’ve always known, in a way that throws all logic of time and space out the window.