Fluctuating

Artist Statement: As an artist, my work explores themes of grief and memory, drawing upon the rich emotional depth within these human experiences. I am interested in art and its relationship with trauma, race, and mortality. Through painting and time-based media I explore ways to memorialize friends who have passed away, depicting a fluctuation of processes, time, and states of being. All this while grappling with significant social issues related to gun violence, race, and mortality, as well as my own positionality. I want to promote a more inclusive and ethical approach to grieving. I believe that the arts can play a vital role in providing support and care for those experiencing loss. Grief memorials and other forms of life writing can serve as powerful tools for healing and understanding. Overall, my art seeks to create a deeper understanding of the complex and often difficult emotions that accompany grief and loss and to provide a space for reflection and healing. With this exhibition, I hope to contribute to a more compassionate and empathetic society, one that values the power of art and creativity in helping us to navigate the challenges of the human experience. Project Statement: Through memorializing my friends and roommates in painted portraits, how do I effectively depict my grief visually? Can video recording the process of painting help translate a grieving process of fluctuation? How can the way the edited video is presented along with the physical final memorial paintings, further articulate a fluctuating cycle of grief? My idea of fluctuating begins with a practice that focuses on creating the meaning of the experience, like a dual-process model based on the idea that grief is a lifelong process of fluctuations between loss and restoration (Iype, Nalini.). This is the starting point from which my title and process originate. The project is a combination of two paintings and two videos/time-based works. Work #1 is memorializing Marcus and work #2 memorializes Reed. The two videos/time-based works will be light projected, and projecting from the two final memorial paintings, contrasting themes of dry and wet grief. The two videos/time-based works are wet and in motion, as they are records of the process. Whereas the two final paintings are still and dried out. With that physical symbolism, grief can fluctuate between loss and restoration, the wet process, and the finished painting. The exhibition space is to be interacted with in the way of processing. The audience can have the choice to view both at the same time or singularly, non-linearly, and process what they're seeing. The projections are in a way filling the space visually but not physically, creating an illusion of space and a sense of presence but also a lack thereof. Evoking emotions of longing, like Fred Sandbanks’ minimalist structures, or James Turrell’s light and how they occupy exhibition spaces. This whole thesis may be a selfish endeavor of attempting to further process the complex context of their deaths and grieve. However, the purpose of my work is to have a tangible memorial, for those of us that lost them but had nowhere to look to or go to, in our grief. This is for them, and this is for us, as we fluctuate. Action Statement: Although the reference to any gun violence and mental health disparities in the visual work is fully subtext, it is still important to provide a statement and resources. Gun Violence: includes the use of firearms in suicide, accidents, and more. In the US especially, one can feel powerless against gun violence. Often the best agency or resource one can have is knowledge. Learn about local and state-level policies of gun control, and then learn more about the federal level. Research local or global campaigns. Find resources and supports, and then volunteer to aid in healing your community. Gun violence and stigmas of mental well-being in the US disproportionately impacts marginalized and minoritized communities. This issue lies at the intersection with many policy and social issues but is ultimately a matter of human rights and the fundamental right to life. National and Global Campaigns: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; dial 988 https://988lifeline.org/ https://www.griefshare.org/ https://gunmemorial.org/about https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/americas/north-america/united-states-of-america/#research Michigan Supports and Campaigns: https://thehopeclinic.org https://www.griefshare.org https://detroitjustice.org https://www.reenvisionoursafety.org/our-plan.html https://www.migunsafety.org

More Information >