Sheltered Thoughts, Missing Piece
2023 Collage 10" x 8" Growing up I used to listen to the stories of my friends about going to their home country. They always knew where they came from and where they took a stance in their heritage roots. With me, that was not the case. I on the other hand have never traveled outside of the country and have been sheltered from visiting where my roots originated. Now as an 18 year old, I have the desire and curiosity to see the world, to see where I come from. All of these years without getting to know my heritage, a piece of me was missing. To fulfill this blank identity, I pieced together a collage of blank faces stitched with shredded passports to convey a deep pit of desolation, knowing I will never see the world anytime soon. The film mediums shown are my baby pictures, which is personally meaningful to me, it shows my innocence to the world. Living with sheltered thoughts about the world truly breaks a missing piece of me. |
Brain on Fire
2023 Acrylic 8" x 12" This piece is about curiosity and personal identity go hand in hand, which leads to the mass implosion on your mind. My life is filled with curiosity, which sometimes leads to no good. This relates to my personal identity, because I have personally grown from those curiosities. In the act of creation, I wield curiosity as a tool to excavate the layers of my identity, recognizing that each question I pose, sparks a reaction, an ignition within the neural labyrinths of oneself. The vibrant pink flames that surge across my work are not just a metaphor but a visceral depiction of the intense, sometimes overwhelming, sensation of brain overload. The flames are a visual representation of uncertainty that accompanies the quest for identity, the heat of confusion, and the light of revelation. |
Blank Standards
2023 Acrylic 16" x 12" There are standards women are “supposed” to hold; don’t speak unless you’re asked to, fix your hair a certain way, put on more makeup, put on less makeup. It’s the never-ending cycle of society telling women what to do to appease the liking of men. This piece pertains to masked emotions women go through, pushing them away from their identity. The blank look the face portrays is a numb emotionless feeling of degradation. I also purposefully made the skin color to give off a melancholic look. The harsh standards of society leave her confused, she doesn’t know who to be, there is no room for her to be herself. Everything is one blank standard. |
Mind Maze
2023 Acrylic 16" x 12" Over the years I became someone I’m not sure I want to be. This piece is about me personally and how finding my identity has felt like a maze. Each painted line charts the pathways where my soul often wanders, seeking a reflection amidst the shadows of expectation and societal norms. The maze symbolize the complexity of inner worlds that make you feel uncertain, something I completely understand. As I navigate though the round and twisted lined pathways, my work reveals that getting lost is not a misstep, but a vital part of my life journey. |
Living in the Depths of Society
2023 Acrylic 16" x 12" This artwork explores the concept of identity and the challenges of self-discovery within a society. It highlights the universal struggle of existing in the present moment without truly knowing oneself. It is both fascinating and nerve-wracking to observe how others' identities can captivate and influence us, often causing us to overlook our own unique qualities and how we present ourselves to the world. The main objective of this piece is to depict a range of individual faces, each distinct and diverse. The disorientation of these faces symbolizes the imperfections that exist within every person, emphasizing that no one is flawless. In today's society, there is an obsession with perfection, but it is crucial to recognize that we are all simply navigating the complexities of societal pressures. Thus, it becomes inconsequential whether one is perfect or not, as we are all merely participants in the fabric of society. |