Is There Anywhere That You Aren’t
My inspiration to make art culminates from an urge to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of existence. Within my artistic process, I assume the role of an observer to the thinking mind.
The three works comprising my thesis project can be considered subjective observations of my rationale, physical environment, and personhood. Titled 'Is there anywhere that you aren’t', they take the form of an abstract painting on canvas, an installation of photographs, and a text-based journal of my love story. I began with the painting in January 2022 which lay groundwork for the other two pieces. Spanning 14 months, the pieces overlap in their timeline and inform one another.
The Painting:
I began the painting with a clear objective of the visual outcome. The dimensions selected were 18 x 8’ with an intent to engulf the viewer in an experience of looking. Working in close proximity to the canvas, I often sat over it to practice the act of stippling with acrylic and oil-based markers. This act worked in tandem with my mind to loosen the grip on ideas and notions previously held dear. I became a witness to the mechanisms of my mind that used reasoning to make visual decisions.
Visually, the painting translates into nebulous, detailed ‘worlds’ of clustered dots that dissolve into the under layers and resurface to merge into one another in different sections of the canvas. The connections formed resemble the universe or brain patterns, their meandering generates a mapping of ‘time.' The process avoids creating new hierarchies within the space of the painting.
The Photography installation:
The installation is a result of a performative process of mapping ‘periods’ captured from my iPhone camera through a year. By looking outward, they respond to the dissociation I experienced during the creation of the painting. The images vary greatly in subject - grassy lands, myopic views of fabric, or macro views of the earth. I observe myself trying to project my inner perceptions onto a subway floor, the texture of skin, or a pizza slice. In doing so, I make visual connections between the physical ‘exterior’ with my mindscape.
The text-based journal:
The writings are selections from my journal, recording phases through my love story. Oscillating ambiguously between fiction and autobiography, they map thoughts from my state of personhood and perception of reality that are amplified within a romantic relationship.
All my works remain evolving outcomes of an ever-expanding process and are thus inconclusive by nature.