Abandonment Series by Emmanuel Chukwu

Why your interpretation of this series can be just as good as mine.

Artists are advised to avoid talking about their artworks, especially conceptual ones. The argument is that talking about them kills the mystery and makes the work less interesting.

This notion assumes that the artist is the highest authority that reveals the absolute meaning of the artwork, which is a mistake. Even though the artist is the artwork's creator, they are not necessarily the creator of the idea behind the artwork. Most ideas are borrowed, and it’s in the execution where borrowed ideas become unique. The viewer has equal freedom to interpret the artwork because most artworks bear multiple meanings.

I suspect that the initial advice that artists should refrain from speaking about their works is an attempt to prevent the artist’s meaning from eclipsing the emergence of other valid meanings and interpretations of the artwork.

What inspired this series?

The Abandonment series is about what happened to me in 2020. It’s a story of self-reflection. I discovered that my core beliefs were not a representation of reality anymore. I went through breakups in multiple relationships simultaneously, which made me realize that no one understood me, including myself. I had two choices, hold on to anger to avoid the pain or embrace the pain and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes. I chose the pain and plunged into the abyss. This series is a representation of my journey.

Death is Abandonment

Please Get Up

I don't know how to "Be"

The Other Side