A three-part online showcase by Sonny Behan, exploring the universal paradox that underlies the existence of all things. The body of work, comprised of three starkly different sculpture collections, is bound together by an overarching narrative that it is only by accepting these contradictions, and becoming comfortable with the ambiguity that exists within all life, that we can find enlightenment as individuals and a society.
Highly regarded as an urban contemporary painter, this is Sonny’s first foray into using sculpture as his primary mode of creative expression. His three-dimensional artworks are vessels for studying the complex relationships between chaos and order; darkness and light. They delve into the indefinite nature of humanity, exposing our perpetual paradoxes as we recreate ourselves over the course of a lifetime.
The numeral in the title – Paradox III – represents the three unique collections, through which Sonny explores the tripartite nature of the world as Ether, Earth, and Water. Yet, the universal power of ‘three’ can be interpreted in many ways; it is the sacred coming together of the mind, the body and the spirit, and the eternal nature of time not only as the past, the present and the future, but also as birth, life, and ultimately death. Inspired by this divine number and its distinctive “wholeness”, Sonny’s new work offers a glimpse into his personal search for a more harmonious relationship with the world around (and within) him.
As the world first started to come to terms with what would become the defining global health crisis of our time, Sonny was thrust into a personal transformation triggered by battles with his own health, and found himself at an interesting crossroads with some time and space to reevaluate and recalibrate. This led him to dedicate the past eighteen months to his studio, a time which has been as much about contemplation, learning, reflection and reimagining, as it has about production.
Cognisant of the physical limitations of the current world, Sonny traded in the traditional gallery walls for an online experience, embracing his passion for film and the opportunity to explore new avenues of creative storytelling. Using film and photography as a mechanism for delving deeper into the themes and emotions felt through the sculptural works, Paradox III conveys a unique visual language that dances tantalizingly between the beautiful and the bizarre.
“After eighteen months of hard work and challenges, of setbacks and growth, of dabbling in the darkness and reaching for the light, this show is the coming together of all aspects of my creativity. Through the process I have picked myself apart, and like the world we now find ourselves in, I am putting myself back together in a way that is stronger than before.”
– Sonny