Parasocial is an ongoing series of sculptures that navigate the pitfalls of unhealthy dependencies within relationships, particularly the deterioration of one-sided infatuation into all-consuming delusions of intimacy. Explored in relation to the mythos of the Wendigo, a cursed cannibalistic spirit that exists in a state of constant starvation, the works thematically parallel the illusionary familiarity experienced when engaging public personas, where the spectator-turned-stalker is driven to frenzy over time by an ever-increasing appetite. While morbid in a thematic sense, the sculptures underplay their ghoulish inspirations and grim desires; hiding behind playful shades of pastels and innocent expressions, alluding to how commonplace parasocial interactions are in our age of interconnectedness.

Joshua Kane Gomes
January 2023, Kuala Lumpur