Someone recently asked me what my art is all about. I think honestly they were a bit freaked out by my expressions series piece, where the eyes look like they are exploding in their sockets.
That particular piece is based on the day where I had a really powerful realization. It was a realization that started the change in my life. The piece represents the blinders coming off. There was a time that I was very successful working a job that I did not want to be in, I kept moving up the corporate ladder thinking that the next success would bring me some happiness. Unfortunately, the next success only lead to the next success that lead to the next success, but there was no lasting happiness, only the drive to reach the next goal.
One day as I looked in the hotel mirror and loosened my tie I saw a fat, miserable and exhausted person looking at me. It was a shock to know that the person looking at me, was me. The image I saw looked lost and unhappy in his own skin.
Suddenly a small whisper came to mind “If you can be successful doing something you hate, you can absolutely be successful doing something you love.”
This thought jolted me out of my comfort zone, but it planted the seed that eventually lead to me changing everything in my life and pursuing happiness as a full time job.
I believe this to be a subtle yet powerful moment in my life and I believe I’m not alone in these experiences. I think these are very common human experiences and that is what fascinates me.
My pieces are based on my experiences and moments of realization in my life that had a lasting effect. Moments of empowerment that may not spawn from the brightest days of my life, but was the catalyst for bright days ahead.
I have a very dynamic style and I believe everything is in movement, that seems to express itself in my pieces.
Honestly, until she asked me, I had never really thought about the meaning of my art as a whole. I created what I felt like creating and it seemed to always be inspired by a very power and personal experience. When people started relating to my artwork I thought it was cool, but didn’t realize that so many people have had or are having the same experiences, albeit in their own unique way.
In the end my wife said “You create dynamic depictions of the human experience, your human experience.” and it stuck.
Klee Angelie
Artist Rafi Perez