Artist Statement:
There’s a particular tone I keep noticing. A kind of sharpness in expression. A need to be right. A tendency to mask uncertainty with bravado. I’ve seen it at home, in gatherings, in the malls, on the roads. It often passes without comment, but it stays with me. There’s something about the way some people carry themselves — impatient, entitled, quick to dismiss. Sometimes it’s loud. Mostly, it’s just automatic.
These behaviours — quick reactions, the need to be right, curt speech — don’t just appear out of nowhere. They’re likely to be cultivated. Maybe in school. At home. Or as by-products of policy outcomes, social messaging, and the culture we’re surrounded by. It’s hard to say exactly where from — but over time, they become second nature. More often than not, I’ve noticed it in men.
I return to these observations—not with judgment, but with questions. Is it just me? Or do others sense it too? And if it isn’t, is this the only way forward? This tension—between what’s expected and what’s actually needed — sits quietly beneath the surface. It makes me wonder what we’ve inherited, what we’re handing down — and how well these ways serve us now.
I return to these observations—not with judgment, but with questions. Is it just me? Or do others sense it too? And if it isn’t, is this the only way forward? This tension—between what’s expected and what’s actually needed — sits quietly beneath the surface. It makes me wonder what we’ve inherited, what we’re handing down — and how well these ways serve us now.