The Diary of Saint Ki presents a cast of characters both within and amid mystical aporetic moments. The figures are emotional holdovers from the depths of the artist’s ego trip, but, as with any well-developed narrative agent, each protagonist appears to us in their own isolated moment of self-reflection. The artist’s aesthetic vision is rooted in positive portrayals of both relinquishing and discovering his sense of self, a central tenant of fostering interconnectedness with others.

The paintings in this exhibition are visceral snapshots of the artist’s attendance to the taunting voices of good versus evil that are internal and familiar to everyone. Saint Ki paints in order to reconcile the dissociation of the everyday required for survival; as a conscious incision into his own thoughts, emotions and internal processes. Each work stems from and reflects a careful balancing act between Saint Ki’s own disengagement and hyperawareness, evidenced through his focus on intuitive, pulsing colors and ambiguous narratives.

The central figure of Elegance––dressed in a cool emerald blazer, crisp white blouse and matching mini skirt––exudes a sense of sophistication and calm. With lips gently pressed together and a soft, thoughtful gaze directed beyond the frame, her face is a picture of serene contemplation, unaffected, in this very moment, by the smoke of unease and embers of dread emanating off of the cherubic counselors by her side. She is composed, balancing between grace and confidence, authenticity and elegance, and yet, her sleeve has caught fire. In Limerance, nude figures literally balance on splayed fingers and an open palm, playfully teasing the gesture of delicate support that could just as well take hold, grip too strongly, and become possessive. Both works allude to the dance of fixation: the desire to persevere and the intensity of focus that requires coupled with the acknowledgement that rigidity and withdrawal into oneself also effect harmful behaviors. Depicting this drama does not leave the artist self-satisfied; with each new painting, the dance repeats.

Together, the works are phantasmagoric, but as a collection of fragments, they have the quality akin to momentary hallucinations that snaps the viewer back to a half-remembered epiphany that reorients your self-perception.

Saint Ki is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist focused on summarizing self-reflection and nostalgia through his self-taught take on portraiture and storytelling. He takes inspiration from his idols, the media and his lived experiences, using expressive figures, gestures and colors to create singular dramas of conceptual surrealism. Each work is made more potent by stopping at a level of suggestiveness without attempting to impose a totalizing vision.

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Tags: Chicago, Lower West Side, Parlour and Ramp, Saint Ki, The Diary of Saint Ki, Theodore Blackman Jr