Through this work, Sylvester is expressing an evolving thought and exploring the plentiful possibilities of a developing artistic practice. “Nemesis was super important to me because it was my foot into the door of abstraction,” Sylvester said. With this work, Sylvester does what all great abstractionists do: He draws you in visually, only to seize you cerebrally with myriad thoughts, ideas, and questions.
“Nemesis,” like much of Sylvester’s work, is bound to Christian scripture. In these paintings, he cites a passage in the Book of Galatians that speaks of the battle between the soul and the flesh. The soul symbolizes purity and sanctity, while the flesh represents the indulgence of passion and desire; the latter, a revolt against God’s will. The two entities are at war, yet coexist within the human being. “The show is called ‘Nemesis’ because it was a call back to my internal struggles, flesh-wise and spiritual-wise,” Sylvester said.
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