Idrawheads
idrawheads was a pivotal body of work in my artistic journey, spanning over a year of daily creation and resulting in more than 300 completed digital portraits. Each piece, though crafted individually and shared as a finished work, collectively formed a visual exploration—a sketchbook of sorts—that propelled me toward deeper investigations of expression, identity, and human connection.
The heads were simple yet intentional, distilling the human face into its essential shapes and lines. Despite their uniform dimensions, each piece carried its own nuance—some playful, others contemplative, each a fragment of the myriad emotional landscapes that define our shared experience. The daily practice of creating these portraits not only sharpened my technical skills but also helped solidify my visual language, laying the groundwork for themes that would later unfold in Mixed Emotions.
At its heart, idrawheads represents the tension between repetition and discovery. Though the process was undeniably rhythmic—posting daily, refining consistent forms—it never ceased to uncover subtle insights. The repetition became a meditation, a dialogue with the human face and the emotions it both reveals and conceals. The anonymous simplicity of the portraits created an openness that invited projection, allowing viewers to see themselves, others, or even abstract feelings within each head.
In hindsight, the decision to share these works on social media—initially tied to the rise of NFTs and my attempt to monetise the series—added layers of complexity to its artistic identity. While the engagement with these platforms was challenging, and ultimately unsatisfying in terms of sales, it does not diminish the value of the work itself. Instead, it reflects the broader cultural context in which the heads were created, exploring both the possibilities and the limitations of artistic practice within the digital age.
This period, despite its doubts and struggles, was transformative. idrawheads became a bridge—connecting the raw experimentation of its earliest works to the more refined and emotive dialogues of Mixed Emotions. Some heads were reimagined, their forms tightened and elevated within the silkscreen prints of the later series. Yet even those that remained untouched continue to resonate as a testament to the process, discipline, and honesty that define my practice.
Ultimately, idrawheads is about connection. It speaks to the fragmented yet enduring thread of human identity, captured in the quiet rhythm of its creation. Though its artistic merit was questioned at times—even by me—it now stands as an undeniable foundation for the works that followed, a crucial chapter in my journey of uncovering the extraordinary in the everyday.
