Artist Statement

On GHOSTS

Written by
Tristan D. Grey

Published
29^th Feb. 2024

_‘  emerging from and fading away into the darkness  _’

Tristan D. Grey,
Artist

The series of ‘GHOSTS’ came about as a direct response to the ever-increasing conflicts and resulting violence all over our modern world. To give a voice to the nameless and show the experience of the shattered and fragmented self, caused by conflicts, in particular as a consequence of the repeated patterns of violence against women.

The drawings are created on black paper on which pastel powder is applied only to be removed and erased to create the shapes and forms of female faces in their details. The already double-exposed portraits are layered on top of each other, fragmented into glitched horizontal bars, emerging from and fading away into the darkness of the black background.

With my drawings, I try to stay between Realism and Abstraction to allow the observer enough space to use his/her imagination to fill the gaps and interpret the images based on their own lived experience.

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].

from the ‘GHOSTS’ series

Drawing,
pastel on 340 gsm (230 lb) black paper,
50 W x 70 H cm,
[19.7 W x 27.6 H in.].