Unspoken

Words on the lips. Not yet said.

A close-up study of lips drawn in charcoal, with white ink calligraphy written directly onto the surface of the work. The words are present — physically there, on the lips — but they are marks, not speech. At the distance you view a framed piece, they are illegible. You know something is written. You cannot read it.

The tension between language and silence is what this piece inhabits. The mouth is the instrument of speech. Here it is closed, adorned with words it hasn't said. Whether that is restraint, or secrecy, or simply a thought not yet formed — the work doesn't decide. You do.

The most technically complex piece in the collection: charcoal realism built over multiple sessions, with white ink mark-making applied on top. The two materials work in opposition and in concert — darkness and light, permanence and gesture, control and release.