I embarked on a journey this year delving into the historical underpinnings of masculinity using MDF as a surface for my paintings. This material is informative of my practice as it’s a natural material that’s been warped and refined using manmade techniques. A majority of toxic male ideologies are born out of a desire to warp and pervert the natural way of things in order to create something that agrees with them. My exploration of masculinity is inspired by my research into the Mythopoetic Men’s movement. This 1980s movement unsuccessfully tried to redefine masculinity within a social landscape. Taking inspiration from techniques and aesthetics by artists such as Bridget Riley and Agnes Martin I wanted to use laboured repeating lines to represent ruminating toxic masculine ideologies and their impact on our perception of gender identity.