Meet Morgan Abenhaim | Multidisciplinary Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Morgan Abenhaim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgan, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I was younger I was less balanced than I am now. I was often very 0 to 100 with my art practice, all or nothing. Art has always been like breathing, it has always been innate to lean into art entirely.

Over time through plenty of trial and error.. and burnout, I’ve learned to find harmony between having a big full beautiful life and an intentional, explorative art practice that allows the two aspects to work in tandem. They aren’t separate but rather deeply entangled and inexplicably intertwined. When it comes to. my art practice and tapping into creativity, art is a vehicle with which to explore the internal landscapes of the human experience with a wide range of what it means to be here. It provides an opportunity reflect, process and grow… like a journal entry . The work is a reflection of a life lived. I found that for me, being intentional with not only how I structure my creative time but also how I lean into experiences feeds into my art practice and allows the in-betweens be the field study research and fuel for the expansion of the elements I explore. Integrating them into each other.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work explores elements of the human experience through a narrowed in form of portraiture. Each human iris has around 200 identification points within the grooved and ridges of its pattern. Iris identification is more accurate than both our dental imprints and fingerprints. When I first began narrowing in on the iris of my subjects it was a way to play around with what it looked like to dissolve the body and eliminate all the physiological markers of my subjects. Elements such as race, gender, facial expression, and just any sort of way in which people compose themselves as a result of the societal constructs and programs that have been thrust upon us. Severing the subject from those elements was an elimination of context and semiotic structures that we used to read, judge and gage one another. Soon this zoomed in form of portraiture became an exploration of connection, intimacy, a search for different ways to dive into the human experience from different angle. It raised some questions- With such minimal context of the portrait art people still able to connect to it? Does emotion come through still without the context? In what ways can various feelings and experiences be reflected and sat with by conveying people in this way? As the work progressed and developed on its own the focus of the human experience shifted from conventional semiotic experience to ones of attempting to transmute the presence of the subjects. Their divinity. How does one tap into and materialize the elements of being human that are deeply felt yet intangible? The idea of tapping into the subjects essence was something that really propelled the work in a direction that was unexpected, and pushed me away from conventional painting into various elements and techniques (such as woodworking, mold making, building.. etc.) that really forced me out of my comfort zone and into completely uncharted territory. It was the trajectory for tapping into immense curiosity within my research around the body of work and the concepts being navigated within it. Tapping into new methods of creating and adding diversity to my process added a sense of playfulness that can sometimes be lost track of. Instead it feeds a cycle of complacency within the work being made- at least for me anyways. I hope my work. inspires people. to look deeper within themselves and each other. To see one another more clearly, with kindness, tenderness and recognition of our fellow humans; our brothers and sisters. that the context in which we. use to cultivate an. identity or mark our individuality or help us identify as one type of person or another. are the same elements that have been weaponized and used against us to keep us divided. So, my hope is to inspire and remind the viewers of my work. not only their own humanness but the humanness of those around them and the magic that we each contain within.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are sooo many people I would love to give a shout out to and honour. From my parents who recognized my passion, encouraged it and nourished it, to the congregational school teacher (Mr. Chaim Klein) that taught me and remained a significant pillar of support and expansion for many of my formative years- from elementary school through to the end of high school. He taught and encouraged my classmates and I to explore boldly. Dive deep into our curiosity, constantly question everything and be dedicated to being fluid, to forever changing, growing and expanding. To my ride or dies who have been there through the thick and thin. Who hold me accountable and also hold space without judgement. Who are on walking this path with me through all the ups and downs and silly clown arounds. To my s’whomp squad these people are truly the strangers that changed my life and have contributed massively to who I am today.. They have taught me so much about friendship, unconditional love, building and cultivating a safe container and community. I feel so blessed to have found my soul fam, my art community (Big ups to Darren Leu for being such. premium staple and pillar of support. Creating spaces for creatives to do their thang, and giving opportunities to local artists to flourish in the city) to the people I’ve met through different sub culture communities in Toronto has really been so humbling and filled my heart to the brim, I could honestly go on and on and on.. but at this point all I have to say is Thank you, I love you and am so honoured and grateful to all of you. Thank you for being part of my life and making it big, full and beautiful.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/morganabenhaim

Image Credits
Not applicable