Ayin Es

Artist's Statement

As a transqueer artist, I'm attuned to living life authentically without playing by binary rules.

I'm inspired by the materials I use, as I discover new directions in my process. I've been creating art and Artists' books for as long as I can remember - always drawn to personal narrative and material exploration. My work has consistently been regarded as raw and highly personal. As an active participant in the Los Angeles art scene for over three decades, I have addressed vantage points of disability, healing, gender, family dynamics, trauma, my environment, and reflection.

The storyteller in me is energized by crude, visionary invention and a humorous imagination. My process, both intuitive and methodical, serves as a distraction from a damaged past. I see my art as an act of redemption, a series of mental breakdowns, an X-ray, an absurd poem, or a primal scream.

Deeply rooted in chronology, my paintings beg to be uncovered from their playful, sardonic veneer. I aim to connect with others while bringing my experience and thoughtfulness to develop my practice further.

Oil paint is always applied generously to build texture and harmony. I've also used paper garment patterns as collage, sewing them directly to the canvas. With an early background in the apparel industry, these pattern shapes evoke deep memories of my childhood, as well as hope and often a hint of absurdity.

Currently, I've been working on a new series entitled "Discarded Snapshots." Working with real family photographs that I found in an old suitcase left behind by my mother, these paintings employ my adult perspective from a nonbinary lens. I am examining complex family histories and memory. In hindsight, I'm attempting to right certain injustices in emotive, subtle ways to stand for those who long to be acknowledged and seen.