“Kiss. Dance! is a series of small scale abstracted oil paintings exploring the effects of perception on the self. Depicting light and shadow, the work interprets light as a form of contactless touch and shadow as the performance of self. Using the motif of light and shadow, the work uncovers how being perceived affects my being, exploring concepts of union, performance, connection, intimacy, and self expression. Light acts as the gaze of another, it is the source of perception. A shadow dances upon a surface, creating a performance. Light creates shadows, perception creates performance. The work dissects the displayed self, investigating how the gaze of another leads to performative behaviour. The performance of the displayed self creates barriers that prevent deeper connections from occurring, hindering authenticity in an escape from vulnerability. ”