Pyae Thein's Life: A Visual Representation using Octopus and Pufferfish
With dating, I often wish against the odds; I cannot accept breakups when they happen, and it takes a while before I realize that the relationship would not work out. After a romantic breakup, my usual pattern is to re-live certain memories repeatedly and to think of a thousand painful “what-if” scenarios, instead of moving on with my life.
For my Senior I.S. Thesis project, I have created a series of ink paintings that represent my ongoing mental struggles of getting over the past romantic, and sexual relationships. Conceptually, I have focused my attention on using animals-in-motion as metaphors, specifically sub-aqueous animals—the octopus and pufferfish—to represent my feelings and behaviors.
The Pufferfish is from one of the childhood nicknames I was given as a chubby kid growing up. Now, even as a young adult, and though I no longer have the same chubby cheeks, the damaged self-esteem and lack of self-confidence such childhood teasing caused still lingers. The Octopus paintings are to convey clinginess, a feeling I have expressed towards those with whom I became close. However, it is a behavior that, I have learned, gradually, not to show.
Another important player that interacts with these octopuses are isolated human silhouettes, created on Grafix drafting films and set off by stippled black ink backgrounds. I based these silhouettes from pictures I took of guys I dated. The reason I portray them as empty negative spaces is that they are no longer part of my life. They have moved on and it is most likely I will never see them again. However, my depiction of an octopus clinging onto these silhouettes symbolizes how I refuse to let go of the memories of such relationships.
Pyae Thein ‘19
Advisor: Walter Zurko
All images copyright © 2019 Pyae Thein. All rights reserved.
Installation. 2019.
Clinging to Jacob (detail). 2019.
Clinging to Stein. India ink, drafting film, watercolor paper. 62" x 48". 2019.
Spikey Fish. India ink, drafting film, lightbox. 30" x 33". 2019.
Pudding Fish. India ink, drafting film, lightbox. 30" x 33". 2019.
Ghosting Octopus. India ink, drafting film, Lightbox. 7" x 10". 2019.