BIRCH VIGNETTES {Photographed by Bisma Jay}

In this collection of work, I transforms digital illustrations into tangible objects by laser cutting birch plywood. Each artwork consists of approximately 80–190 puzzle-like components that are hand-painted with watercolour or marbled using suminagashi, a traditional Japanese paper marbling technique. The pieces are then laminated together to create a sense of depth: a two-and-a-half dimensionality.

In this central body of work of my thesis exhibition, Playing House, I reimagine the domestic spaces of my childhood memories through ornament, colour, and an attention to softness. By embracing decoration and inviting fantasy, these vignettes become idealized spaces where gendered expectation of interior design codes can be queered, and where masculinity can feel less rigid and more playful.