Carey, Nicky
Artist Statement
In my work I delve in to the real and imaginary worlds. I try to force an interaction of the two worlds. My imagery explores the underworld of the night and unconscious dreams so to bring them forth into the conscious of the day.
The works endeavor to retain my childhood vision of the work. But it is not childish, infantile nor immature. Within the works are figures and events that are mainly derived from Freudian and Jungian psychology. They show a raw and comical intensity of an unflinching view of the human psyche – both the humorous and darker sides of human nature.
There is always an obsessive use of imagery that is held together with a childlike freedom. The figures often seem isolated as though they do not know the drama that they are involved in, or the story that they tell.
My attempt is to tell stories through drawing and poetry.
As an art maker what I know of the world is through my senses. My perception is my basis of learning behaviour and a conceptual state comes after my sensory experience of the world around me.
As works of art can be hard to decipher an aesthetic experience can be the only way to unravel the story told. My visual and tactile awareness is nurtured by all kinds of encounters. Since nature shares with manmade art objects many of the same terms, properties and characteristics, sensory encounters with nature, human and animal alike, give wings to my imagination and at the same time enable me to relate and react to the real world around me.
Birds appear numerous times in my works and they can be birds of freedom, death, an angel of the night or protector. Cats also appear many times in my work. They relate to the mysterious, aloof and unknown.
The human presence in the works are a celebration of memories of childhood experiences, day to day living, life/death, sex and various other emotional states relating to human existence and behaviour.
The stories told in the works can have many different meanings to the individual. I only suggest a starting point for the viewer to relate their own story and meaning.