I paint as an exploration of the spiritual and poetic resonance I feel with mundane physical objects in Trinidad. In my experience, these objects – ranging from the messy telephone wires that obscure views, to the sight of a Jab Molassie during Carnival time or more ephemeral things like shadows created by soaring birds or the dancing light beaming through the leaves of a tamarind tree – seem at times to be imbued with a particular ambiguous spiritual and poetic quality. As a painter, I feel compelled to respond to the deep resonance I experience with these things when they radiate and grab my attention. Using acrylic paints and various drawing media, I create metaphors around resonant objects, by forging new spatial relationships between them and interchanging the physical qualities of these objects in an attempt to make sense of the mysterious effects they have on me. By repeating objects throughout my body of work, I build a frame of reference for my paintings to be interpreted. Often the meanings my work generates are fluid, inviting the viewer into the mystic pulse of the objects that become subjects in my work.
Elechi Todd
Trincity Trinidad and Tobago