Stevens describes a pivotal ‘breakdown’ – more as a ‘breakthrough’ moment in his life, when he was sorting the disjointed parts of himself, he started sorting parts of fabric strips, stitching together and organising himself and his art, using it not only as a form of therapy but of self-expression.
A self-taught artist, he was inspired by his mother, who was an amateur dress maker and as a child he enjoyed the repetitive, mindful practice of stitching. As a practicing Nichiren Buddist, Anthony finds many images come to his minds eye whilst chanting, and he uses his intuition to observe whether it’s worth bringing to fruition.
Stevens explains: “It is during the actual creative process that the image starts to reveal it’s many layers of meaning to me. This is also reflected in the actual textiles themselves (for instance, I use stripes in most of my work. These represent to me the ongoing drama of life and death, conciousness and unconciousness ) and the manner in which I stitch. I guess it’s me dancing with my inner dynamics so that I can find a rhythm that is both constructive and wonderful.”
His work explores themes of heart break, the rich traditions of cultural mythologies and different religious traditions and story-telling. A paradoxical universe in stark contrast to the more secular, scientific society Stevens witnesses in the today’s world.
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