“I do not seek to define or resolve, but rather to evoke – a reaction, a question, a fleeting moment of recognition. My work is not a destination, but an invitation to engage, to perceive, and to reconsider. Everything must be challenged in order for me to feel comfortable.”
Shani Ynclan (born 2001), more commonly known as SYNC, is a self-taught, multi-disciplinary visual artist from Johannesburg, South Africa.
SYNC’s multi-disciplinary artistic journey navigates the landscape of contemporary culture and society through of acrylic paint, ink, embroidery, and rug tufting. Through the interplay of these mediums, the artist aims to weave narratives that intertwine and dissect cultural dualities, social critique, existential inquiry and the intersection of the tangible and intangible. By employing a diverse range of mediums and techniques, SYNC is able to create compositions that blur the boundaries between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art forms and styles. The artistic style encompasses that of experimental pop fusion and eclecticism.
“Art, to me, is a visual language – one that extends beyond spoken words and exists as a process of inquiry rather than conclusion. My work explores the tension between the known and the unknown, the interplay of order and chaos, and the way perception shapes meaning. Rather than offering fixed narratives, I create open-ended visual dialogues that invite introspection and challenge assumptions.
“I am drawn to the spaces between - between comfort and discomfort, stability and disruption, memory and abstraction. My compositions are layered with movement, texture, and spatial ambiguity, creating a sense of liminality that mirrors the fluidity of experience. Through these elements, I examine how we navigate uncertainty, construct understanding, and the way that transformation emerges through fragmentation.
“Beyond the personal and existential, my work also interrogates the structures that shape contemporary life. I explore themes of capitalism, media, and power – how systems of control dictate perception, commodify experience, and manufacture a sense of inevitability. Through visual critique, I confront the spectacle of modernity, the illusion of autonomy, and the alienation that arises when reality is mediated through constructed narratives.”
SYNC’s multi-disciplinary artistic journey navigates the landscape of contemporary culture and society through of acrylic paint, ink, embroidery, and rug tufting. Through the interplay of these mediums, the artist aims to weave narratives that intertwine and dissect cultural dualities, social critique, existential inquiry and the intersection of the tangible and intangible. By employing a diverse range of mediums and techniques, SYNC is able to create compositions that blur the boundaries between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art forms and styles. The artistic style encompasses that of experimental pop fusion and eclecticism.
“Art, to me, is a visual language – one that extends beyond spoken words and exists as a process of inquiry rather than conclusion. My work explores the tension between the known and the unknown, the interplay of order and chaos, and the way perception shapes meaning. Rather than offering fixed narratives, I create open-ended visual dialogues that invite introspection and challenge assumptions.
“I am drawn to the spaces between - between comfort and discomfort, stability and disruption, memory and abstraction. My compositions are layered with movement, texture, and spatial ambiguity, creating a sense of liminality that mirrors the fluidity of experience. Through these elements, I examine how we navigate uncertainty, construct understanding, and the way that transformation emerges through fragmentation.
“Beyond the personal and existential, my work also interrogates the structures that shape contemporary life. I explore themes of capitalism, media, and power – how systems of control dictate perception, commodify experience, and manufacture a sense of inevitability. Through visual critique, I confront the spectacle of modernity, the illusion of autonomy, and the alienation that arises when reality is mediated through constructed narratives.”
