In early 2021, my dad suddenly got diagnosed with terminal oesophageal cancer, A month later he passed away, leaving me and our dog Dave. At this point life just paused for a long while, so I did what any sane (?) person would do.

I built a shed in my back garden…

 

The shed is without a doubt the biggest project I have embarked on, spanning 5 metres in length, 3 metres in width and a whopping 2.4 metres tall, eating up all my free time and money the last 3 years, but it was ever so worth it!

 

My works themselves are embodiments of “DIY”. I like to work with building materials mostly, three dimensional items - nearly always sculptural.

I don’t have a key theme, I heavily believe in my own philosophy, the (f)artist philosophy, I  just like to make cool shit, and cool shit is something I am keen to specialise in.

The shed itself is my artist statement, it resembles who I am as an artist.

 

its whole concept itself is ridiculous, A workshop built by an 18-year old kid with bereavement issues and initially little to no DIY knowledge.

 

It is not straight or square, and certainly doesn’t adhere to building codes, just like its maker. It is a delusion of grandeur, its concept, its inception was dreamt up by my 18-year-old self., I thought to myself that I would love to have my own workshop one day, and that thought grew, developed and festered until I snapped and said fuck it. I made a PowerPoint proposal to present to my mother, as it is her back garden…. I weaned out a reluctant yes!

 

Over the years of shed building season, I have acquired so many skills and traits. ,It has developed and morphed the art I make and my entire creative process., Initially, I dubbed myself as Virgil Abloh reincarnated, fashion was what I thought I wanted to delve into at the time.., Everything I make now is something large scale with self-taught construction being the powerhouse behind my practice, roughly crafted with power tools and a lot of hope  and prayers . I don’t view my art as “pieces”, I view my art as projects, with careful methodical planning behind them.(sometimes)

 

The shed is a place where I channel my feelings and thoughts , mostly around my dad’s  bereavement, building the shed helped me cope with my  loss.

 

My dad was a mechanic and a handyman, so I always grew up around tools and sheds getting built.,  At the time I never really cared to join him, but there is something about his absence , which has made me want to fill that void.