Soul Rebel Leaves the City of Orphalese

Inspired by Bob Marley’s Confrontation album and the wisdom of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. Marley’s lyrics echo the journey of struggle between belonging and transcendence. The Prophet’s journey of leaving the City of Orphalese and his parting words set the thematic core of the exhibit. Each piece grapples with themes of the self in relation to place, the impact of injustice on identity, and the role of inner resilience.

The exhibition begins with an unconventional medium: ceiling tiles, where the first works were completed. These tiles hang above the studio, guiding the production process below. In tandem, discarded television sets become canvases of reflective black glass, mirroring the ceiling installations and evoking the motif, “as above, so below.” The reflections create a dynamic environment, a push-pull of “coming and going,” which blurs the boundaries between creation and observation, movement and stillness.

This collection, with its dual media and layered reflections, is a visual meditation on the tension of having roots in places of conflict and embracing the liberation of moving beyond them. It speaks to the universal search for personal truth and the courage it takes to seek freedom, even if it means leaving familiar ground behind.