‘Monologues’ presents a personal realm greatly transformed by the outburst of Coronavirus. More precisely, it visualises intense monologues that are enforced by the constrained circumstances and lack of human contact.
I fled from Cardiff to Estonia in March 2020 and moved to live to an isolated forest house, close to Lahemaa national park that had belonged to my family for generations. It was a rapid transformation during which a life following a plan became planless. This new enforced reality combined with restricted movement and scarce human encounters was a source for intense monologues; cheerful at times, and bitter at others.
The space didn’t present any clues of the virus, the forest lived its own life and fields alike. With conditions like these, it is easy to turn inwards and forget the realm outside. I became focused on the landscape my ancestors inhabited and started learning about the objects they possessed.
The resulting imagery fuses elements of ‘reality’ and ‘fiction’. It presents a personal struggle involving conflicting feelings, moments of confusion, and means through which one manages to cope with such rapid changes. ‘Monologues’ is about letting go the old world, embracing the new one, and finding my place within this changed reality - all this through discussions with self.