I am invested in chance, randomness, and instruction-based art, and in an attempt to elevate my instructions, I drew inspiration from Brain Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies. I was particularly influenced by their bold and provocative, short and simple approach, and attempt to emulate a similar effect here.
In one category, I collaborated with AI to generate instructions using my own as a reference. In another, titled Haiku and Verbaliser, I wrote daily haikus reflecting on my quotidian life and then placed them into a website called the Verbasizer. The site scrambled the haikus into a nonsensical script, from which I extracted interesting words and phrases. The last category, as briefly mentioned earlier, was titled Me and was influenced by Oblique Strategies.
I then selected three cards from a hat and created the subsequent artwork based on the results. The entire process was designed to relinquish control and embrace unpredictability. I wanted to get lost in the art of creation without the pressure of perfection or genius.
Ready Redirect Overflow, 2025
Paper, string, watercolour, latex, acrylic paint, coloured pencils
Ready Redirect Overflow was the second artwork in the series. The chosen instructions were Ready Redirect Overflow, make a collage and Time Disguise. The first and the last were from the Haiku and Verbaliser category, while the other was from the Me category. I began by creating an abundance of artwork. Initially, in a mindless and unthinking manner, and then in a more mindful, conscious, and meditative state of mind. I interpreted the first instruction as creating artwork unconsciously, then shifting into a conscious headspace and creating a lot of it. Following this, I formed a collage with the last instruction, Time Disguise, in mind. I interpreted it as disregarding the chronological order of creation. I, therefore, arranged the collage in such a fashion to ensure the viewer would not know what was created first.
The Verbaliser, 2025
Acrylic paint, modelling paste, charcoal, turn table
The software influenced the Verbaliser's title. The chosen instructions, however, were all AI, making it my first all-AI collaboration. I followed the first instruction, Add a mistake by leaving the canvas (turn-table) out in nature to let the environment leave its mark. The following instruction, Write all over it, resulted in me documenting what I had done until that point with charcoal. There is a narrative of both loss and preservation. The transient nature of the charcoal allowed it to be erased easily, resulting in my documentation perceivably being lost. Moreover, the subsequent paint layers encapsulated the now loose pigments that once formed words suggesting that in some form, the writing is still present. Lastly, the Rip-it instruction was very loosely interpreted as revealing layers, which influenced the design of the piece and the alternation of smooth and impasto texture.
Time Tangle, 2025
Digital drawing
I wanted to create a card collection with aesthetics in mind, hence, Time Tangle. This was a multi-week project that became my first manufactured artwork. It involved the same categories as the previous works, with the instructions being even more bold and provocative. This collection was created in the style of a standard poker deck, fit with joker/wild cards and suits. It was a digital project where I focused on developing my digital style and showcased how designing can result in a tangible outcome.