I discovered @wilkes.studio on Instagram and TikTok. One of her piece's went viral on TikTok (6.9 million views) - titled Birthday. The text reads 'I'm glad we don't talk anymore but I still think about you on your birthday' - it is a very intimate piece, made of hand made alphabet candles on a 'frosted' background, which the artist then set alight and burnt. It is relatable, and reminds me myself of relationships or friendships that have ceased, but always linger with you in memories on those special days like birthdays and anniversaries. Perhaps the artist's burning of the piece is letting this grief go?
The end result is a drippy, burnt, sort of mess, but the piece is still incredibly poetic. The wax drippings and the burnt holes in the canvas speak to the greater meaning of the piece, the broken and discarded relationship with whoever the artist was referring to.
Her other art work is also text based, with immaculately painted or drawn lettering, showing intimate and personal text. I feel the artist's work is similar to my own in that she is expressing real, raw, emotion through her art work without holding back, but making it visually appealing and perhaps easier to swallow,
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