Pure of Heart, 2024

Folded paper on wood panel in acrylic case.  This piece is composed of origami lotus flowers. I started folding lotus flowers in the summer of 2024 as a commission for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society’s Milestone Project. Five pieces were ins...

Folded paper on wood panel in acrylic case.  This piece is composed of origami lotus flowers. I started folding lotus flowers in the summer of 2024 as a commission for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society’s Milestone Project. Five pieces were installed at The Bentway in Toronto as milestone markers in the fight against breast cancer at the finish line for the CIBC run for the cure. I hung 634 origami lotus flowers on 100 steel wires for my installation. The big reveal was that when viewed from the right location, a portrait of the Cancer Survivor Salimeh could be resolved. I was honoured to be a part of this project and have my art be a part of telling her story. I chose the lotus flower because of its shape but also in its meaning. The lotus plant grows in the swampy muck but a beautiful flower blooms. It is a symbol of purity, rebirth and strength. The vibrant Chiyogami paper is hand silk-screened in Japan, and is PH neutralized by myself sheet by sheet. I use pH neutral glue and adhere to artist grade wood panels painted with a durable, acrylic paint . The acrylic case is custom-made to my specification, and installed myself.  The piece comes ready to hang with either French cleat or D-rings. This piece is part of my migration series of origami assemblage.  My artist statement: Andrew unearths great journeys through origami assemblage, influenced by his experience as a second generation Canadian. “We are keenly aware of our ‘otherness’, wondering if we truly belong. I fold hundreds of origami birds to honour hardships and sacrifices made by my parents’ generation. As I lay each bird in its place, I realize that the journey continues – I am still finding my way, to be accepted, by others, by myself.” The process is a cathartic, meditative practice. Always striving for perfection, taking joy in the completion of each small task, the culmination of thousands of motions to create something greater than the sum of its parts.