This work delves into intricacies of the human form, a subject that has captivated and challenged me for years. Drawing inspiration through what is seen and what is felt, I employ bold lines and deliberate mark-making to explore the boundaries between the physical body and psychological tension that shapes our perception of the figure. In my pieces, the figure emerges as both raw and expressive, where intentional incompleteness creates space for the viewer’s imagination to fill in the gaps suggesting the complexities of human identity, emotion, and memory.

 

"figure theory" is a manifestation of my ongoing dialogue with the body, its vulnerabilities, and its capacity for expression beyond its mere appearance. The decision to leave parts of the figure unrendered is an invitation for the viewer to engage with the concept of absence as much as presence. By stripping away the need for visual completeness, the work emphasizes the contrast between what is physically present and what lies beneath the surface—emotion, memory, and the fleeting nature of being.

 

In this process, I seek to blur the line between finished and unfinished, material and immaterial. The human form becomes a vessel for more abstract interpretations of identity where the unrendered spaces represent gaps in perception, personal history, and emotional landscapes. These spaces challenge the viewer to confront their own interpretations of what defines a person and what is essential and what remains elusive. The figures I depict are, in a way, incomplete by design, reflecting the constant evolution of self and how we are all, in a sense, works in progress.

 

Through this body of work, I aim to explore the tension between absence and presence, form and formlessness.  It is within this tension that the figure begins to reveal its complexities, offering layers of meaning beyond its surface. 

 

~ bradley oblenes.