BIOGRAPHY:
Kamloops based artist, Siddhesh Chikane, who is in the process of achieving a Bachelor of Fine Art (Visual Arts) from Thompson Rivers University has been honing his art and working towards his 4th year exhibition. He specializes in working with photography, videography, and installation artworks.
Siddhesh is deeply involved in with working with philosophical concepts in the context of his artworks and has also worked these concepts into his work with inspiration from literature. He also draws heavy inspiration from his love for skateboarding, often drawing parallels with skateboarding and philosophical concepts. He was also awarded the Fred Billows Memorial Award for his excellence and pursuit of photography in 2023.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Skate culture has taught Siddhesh many things and the most important lesson was to be stubborn when aiming at a goal, and from his own experiences, he explores the human condition to keep pushing through the challenges that present themselves. Key events and characteristics of humanity is described as the human condition. A beginner at skateboarding is bound to fail multiple times before they succeed and it the only way to improve is to keep falling until they finally nail that one trick that’ll make them aim higher and this cycle of failing constantly while trying to achieve an aim or a goal is a part of the human condition and so is the frustration, anger, and disappointment which eventually transforms into happiness through hard work and dedication.
As a self-portrait, the double exposure of this work represents the repetition of failing repeatedly, just like a beginner might try to perform an “ollie” but since they haven’t practiced the trick enough to do it consistently, they might fall and hurt themselves. This piece emulates a still frame from cinema reel – with the mural print being lit up by a cinema projector, the subtitle on the print, and many minor details he implores the viewer to explore. The subtitle also ties in with the title to create an interaction between two people and form a dialogue.
The experience of facing a difficult obstacle while trying to achieve something is a situation that is very common with humans all over the world. This work represents that very human condition and asks the viewer to reflect on the times they might’ve faced a similar situation.
