Whilst isolating in Summer 2021, I created an online journey back in time by pairing pre-2000s music with photographs I had edited, to achieve a superficial or aged aesthetic. I posted these on a new Instagram page called bav_aesthetic.

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My fourth-year project is a series of 20 acrylic paintings surrounding the themes of nostalgia, escapism, and aesthetic. Each painting in the series is painted on 12 x 12” MDF, replicating the size of Vinyl record sleeves.

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The series of paintings is intended to be viewed whilst listening to an original mix I have created by sampling from songs released between the 1960s and 2000, and each individual painting is named after the corresponding song I have paired it with on bav_aesthetic.

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The complete collection of paintings is called The Idea of Ideal in relation to the themes of nostalgia, escapism and aesthetic, present in my work. Nostalgia is often a fond reminiscence of the past, escapism is a portrayal of a place someone might like to go, and aesthetic is I have tried to find beauty in. I have tried to capture this idea of idealism using acrylic paint to capture the saturated colours from my bav_aesthetic images.

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My collection contains a variety of styles of paintings, with some appearing realistic and others more abstract. This reflects the various decades and genres associated with each individual work.

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The musical aspect of my The Idea of Ideal allows the viewer to imagine a time and place within the paintings, creating a more immersive experience. Each viewer may also bring with them their own associations with the music I have selected, allowing a more personal nostalgia to emerge.