ONE DAY I'LL BE THE BEST
A group of works formed through 2009-10 after a number of trips made by Peter to Pakistan working with local NGO's there. The works were shown primarily in the exhibition 'Insights' in Queens Gallery, Dundee and the ongoing hanging of works in Art Exposure Gallery, Glasgow, as well as individual exhibits along the way.
Geometrics, patterns and compositions rooted in the Mhogul Empire’s visual dynasty converge with today’s pop 'Superhero' legacy of the West. From the domes and decagons of the East to stars and stripes of the West, connections in visual design have been intertwined through the centuries spanning nations and even continents.
Archetypal religious iconography is referred to in Peter’s work, specifically in the way that it styles the beings that it depicts. Whilst belief systems differ, often the religious visual language of composition, pattern, symbols, use of light etc. all serve the purpose of elevating, revering and attributing divinity to the subject (whether the subject be actually visible or not). Overtly religious societies display such visuals throughout their lands yet oppositely secular societies appear not to fall short of such imagery. Densely media-clad pages, billboards and screens seem to project surprisingly similar themes of ‘pop’ colours and ornament related to consumer goods, celebrity stars and cinema superheroes. These Western cultures of consumer infatuations may contrast against some of the now infamous conservative, anti-media extremes associated with 'the East’. But both, with an apparent opposition of values, acknowledge something of man’s aspirations for perfection, drive to compete and desires to excel above the rest.
Direct links are purposely made between these two main themes that are already present, but less obviously connected, in our visual world of mass media. It is by these means that Peter’s works seek to provide visual discourse around the aspirations of normal, everyday humanity to something more, something better, something perfect.