Night has fallen and all is still. Here in the silence; reality, dreams and memory weave into a haunting spectacle of sensations. And all at once, feelings of joy, fear and melancholy descend. I follow my senses and step into the water (I’ve always been drawn to the water, perhaps an innate connection to my Maldivian heritage). The ocean, with all its grandeur and mystery, brings with it escape, wonder, terror and excitement.

For my new exhibition, VISIONS OF THE DARK NIGHT, I have continued my exploration of these moments of divinity, when time and distance fades away. Moments when I have felt like an explorer in a distant world, submerged in an alien landscape.

VISIONS OF THE DARK NIGHT, an exhibition of new paintings by J Valenzuela Didi, will be on display at Traffic Jam Galleries in September 2023.