Artist statement

In Upstairs, the main character is a painter who is living at the poverty line and once had a deep passion for painting. No longer satisfied by his art work, he feels depressed and frustrated. His roommate is a fish, which he observes when he is stuck in his work. As the painter looks at the fish, he feels like he is looking at himself. They are both lonely and lost, yet trapped, too. A sex worker dressed in fancy clothes lives in an apartment upstairs. He sees her walking by everyday, but they have never talked. He finds her full of mystery, but especially her brooch — maybe because it is the most precious thing he has ever seen.

He pursues something from the woman... An inspiration? Her body? Or just the brooch? Who knows? I believe different viewers will see different answers. Whether it is the experience of “having sex” with a sex worker or observing her death, it is all grist for the mill for the painter in reconnecting with and creating his art.