My Art Exhibition
2019-2020
All of my artworks represent some form of self-exploration; whether it be exploring myself and my identity, my relationship with others, or exploring my culture and the world around me. Each artwork represents a different form of relationship. When I was fourteen, I moved from my New Zealand where I had been living for twelve years of my life. Creating a shift in my relationships and my own self-security, this experience influenced all of my artworks in some way.
I use the subject matter of my artwork to show symbolism. Specifically, I have depicted the human figure to symbolize self-exploration. The human figure became the basis for the message of all of my artworks. I believe that through body language, I was able to express various emotions and ideas such as stress or confidence. Specifically, I show a female figure in my artwork Emotional Explosion, to showcase resilience of emotional stress.
Color was also a large factor in emphasizing the theme of my artworks. In my artwork Her and Him, I use vibrant red in contrast with thick black strokes to resemble the recognition of passion and sensuality in the exploration of sexuality. I was inspired to use Indian Ink from some of Pablo Picasso’s works, but I found that ink created a sense of flow and freedom. This medium was effective in showing two people melting into each other, often finding it difficult to distinguish one figure from the other.
Another medium I used in two of my artworks, Distraction by New Life and Emotional Explosion, oil paints allowed for me to create very accurate depiction of the human body. Because the human figure was such an important piece of symbolism for all of my artworks, I found that the accuracy in which they were depicted plays a large role in how my message will come across.
Collage was a medium I used to physically integrate different symbols in the same artwork while still using the symbolism of a human figure. I used this in my artwork called Femininity, which explores feminine culture and my perception of it. With collage, I was able to pick and choose multiple different symbols and images from magazines and compile them in a way that not only complimented the rest of my artwork aesthetically, but it also entices my viewers to look further into the main idea and message behind the artwork.
The foremost relationship created between my artwork and my viewer is the initial shock factor upon looking at my artworks. Since nudity is largely taboo for many people, I believe that the extent to which nudity is a subject within my artworks will draw people in to look closer at my exhibition. However, the image of a human body was used by various artists throughout the centuries from the Greek statues of nude athletes to celebrate their physique and as a tribute to the gods, and to the works of contemporary female artists to represent their sexuality, the family, and the workplace. My body of work represents a symbolic interpretation of my self-exploration through the images of a female body. I invite the audience to decode the symbolic interpretation of the emotions, thoughts, and issues I explored in my artworks. My intent is not to shock my viewer, rather to draw the viewer's attention to the symbolism that I tied to the images in your pieces.
I selected these works based on their coordinance with my theme. Originally, I intended to explore relationships solely, but my theme developed to resonate more with an idea with self-exploration as I created more artworks and expanded my ideas. I believe that my decision to frame all of my works in black and white frames creates an emphasis and contrast that differentiates the various forms of self-exploration within my works. I arranged my artworks in accordance to their colors and size, as well as the color of their frames, alternating between black and white framing. The two biggest pieces are placed diagonally to each other and in the middle of my exhibition because they are the most important aspects of my theme of self exploration.
This artwork was formed around the idea of a sexual relationship and sensual emotions. With ink, I was able to create a very free flowing artwork, where both of the figures mold into each other. I used black ink for the majority of the artwork, but I used red and gold ink for details. Red and Gold to me are very explosive colors, reminding me of fireworks. These details represent a spark between two or more people.
I was inspired to create this artwork by the relationship I have with my own mother. I depicted a woman holding a baby to her chest to show the bond between mother and child. They sit in a boat as they glide across a river, with no site of the future course of the river. I used this idea of the river to show how a maternal relationship can have it’s ups and downs, but ultimately the mother and child stay bound together through love.
This piece is based around the variations of physical growth throughout different stages of life. In this piece I specifically focused on women. I showed exaggerated curvature and vibrant colors to emphasize my own relationship with physical growth and femininity. All of the women depicted are nude as to show the raw and authentic reality of physical growth both in youth and in age.
This artwork was formed around the idea of a sexual relationship and sensual emotions. With ink, I was able to create a very free flowing artwork, where both of the figures mold into each other. I used black ink for the majority of the artwork, but I used red and gold ink for details. Red and Gold to me are very explosive colors, reminding me of fireworks. These details represent a spark between two or more people.