Pesona & Persona is a ‘work-in-progress’ series of paintings that concerns the relationship between the persona we construct for ourselves, and its ability to enchant and impact the people we come in contact with. The word ‘pesona’ is a Bahasa Malaysia word which refers to enchanting or charming someone, while the English word ‘persona’, refers to the role or character presented of an individual as perceived by others. In this series, I explore the concept of how one presents themselves to the world, and the elements of our characters that make us who we are.

As human beings, we are known to dress ourselves up and build our personas around how we want to be identified, sometimes subconsciously, other times consciously. These characteristics which we present to the public, be it our enhancement of physical features, mannerisms, or lifestyle, evidently have the power to influence others’ perceptions of us. With this in mind, Pesona & Persona is inherently a contemplative journey where I attempt to identify how I would like to portray myself to the world, and essentially, the persona I would like to reconstruct for myself. It not only illustrates a monologue of my internal struggles and insecurities, but it is also a journey towards identifying, understanding, and embracing my shortcomings.

Mannequins are presently the dominant subject matter of this series. Symbolising soulless bodies, the mannequins are set in a room or a space where it appears entangled with a collective of human traits and weaknesses. In addressing and confronting one’s bad habits, there are expressions of guilt and disappointment towards past actions. Yet, I search for small ways to instil hope of the possibility of a brighter future. The ribbons wrapped around the figures is an attempt to capture the notion of how our decisions and actions shape our habits, although not always in a positive manner.