The parts they couldn’t break

TITLE: THE PARTS THEY COULDN’T BREAK

There is something about a ripped canvas that feels more honest to me than a perfect one.

I distress and tear my canvases by hand before I build them back up again. I want the damage to stay visible. The loose threads, exposed layers, broken edges and raw fabric are not flaws in the work they are the work.

The Parts They Couldn’t Break is about what remains after life has pulled at you.

A familiar childhood figure sits inside a surface that has been torn apart, rebuilt and interrupted. There is nostalgia here, but it is no longer innocent. There are pieces missing. There are layers exposed. There is evidence of what happened.

And still, it stands.

For me, this piece is about survival without pretending nothing happened.

Not returning to who you were before.

Becoming something more interesting because of it.

Original one-of-one Bo Wilde artwork.
Hand-distressed canvas, acrylic, spray paint and mixed media.

The Parts They Couldn’t Break
Available for acquisition. #handmade #newzealand #art #artist