"My work reframes the 'concrete' of Brutalist architecture as both a material and a metaphor—weighty and resilient, yet vulnerable to erasure and neglect."

My practice is rooted in the radical vision of Constant Nieuwenhuys’ 'New Babylon' (1959–1974), an architectural project designed for a future society of Homo Ludens ('Man at Play'). I view Brutalist architecture as the ideal, realized embodiment of this vision—monoliths that represent both a utopian dream of egalitarianism and a dystopian reality of urban alienation.

Brutalist architecture's physical magnetism emanates a powerful, almost threatening presence. The attraction is not one of traditional aesthetics; rather, they exude an overwhelming sense of unapologetic gravitas. My ambition is to convey the sense of vibrating presence Brutalist architecture emits via the two-dimensional plane of the 'canvas'.

To achieve this, I utilize a layered process of addition and subtraction. I apply enamels and acrylics to plywood panels, only to sand them back, revealing the underlying history of the surface—mimicking the weathered, textured surfaces of concrete monoliths.

To deepen the narrative of isolation and unease, I title my works using Joy Division lyrics, connecting the spatial experiences of architecture to raw human emotion.

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Portrait 1