Curatorial Rationale
My exhibition functions as a personal and in-depth commentary of the human psyche and the vulnerabilities that arise from human experience. I have always been intrigued by the intricacies of the mind and the ways that we can explore human emotions through an introspective lens. Thus, all of my artworks stem from a surrealistic insight into my own personal burdens, fears, anxieties, and desires. By taking an individualized approach to exploring the subconscious, I aim to let my art reflect personal dilemmas and sentiments that the viewers can relate to and even acquire a better understanding of their psyches.
To reflect the development of my psyche over time, I organized the artworks of my exhibition in chronological order from left to right. Starting from the left-hand side, symbolic imagery is used to portray the conflict between myself as the individual and my psychological burdens revolving around human relationships, insecurities, and escapism. The left side is crucial in establishing how these anxieties and fears impact the mental state of the individual, gradually leading to the middle portion of the exhibition. Here, the digital collages amplify the rising tension and worsening state of the mind in relation to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, and the lasting impact of such an event is displayed to the rightmost side, portraying how psychological stress can be physically exacerbating as much as mentally exhausting.
On the leftmost side of the exhibition, there are four pieces that set up the human body to be a significant motif throughout my body of work. The human form, in combination with surrealistic imagery, is representative of my individual psyche and how it confronts a multitude of dilemmas in relation to the self. Through a psychoanalytic lens, the manifestation of fears and desires become apparent and overlap one another, mirroring the convoluted thought process of our subconscious. In “Fear of Confrontation”, the desire to connect with another human is often at odds with the fear of getting hurt by that same person, thereby creating an intense separation between the two figures. This sense of distance is re-established in “The Trials of Life”, portraying the anxiety that comes with growing independent and separating the identity of the child figure from the parental figures, even if the desire for dependency remains. “Fragile Like Glass” touches upon the difficulties of showing vulnerability and flaws to others while “Caught Between Two Worlds” shifts from human relationships and begins focusing more on the individual and their desire to escape from reality.
The middle section of the exhibition continues to reflect the state of the psyche but in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming a record of my thoughts and worsening mental state as a result of such a global catastrophe. “Walking Into the Unknown” is representative of the general uncertainty and anxiety for society’s future during quarantine while also functioning as a complete tonal shift from “Caught Between Two Worlds.” There is no sense of escapism here; only an unpleasant yet inevitable confrontation with reality. “Patience and Waiting, Waiting, Waiting…” reveals the hope I had continuously held onto wishing for the return of normalcy in our lives, highlighting how this anticipation has led to nothing but impatience and mundanity becoming associated with quarantine life. “I Want to See You Again” comments on the increasing use of technology during lockdowns and its inability to properly replicate the experience of communicating with another human being in person. When these three pieces are viewed together, they emit a sense of isolation and loneliness, a feeling that is not only reflective of our currently restrained physical surroundings, but of our mental state as well.
Lastly, the rightmost side of my exhibition houses three oil paintings collectively titled “the Repression series” that showcase the progression of my emotional state resulting from the pandemic. “The Vines of Sentiment” and “Self-Made Prison” mirror each other in that they both portray the hardships of emotional repression, but the former conveys this through facial features and symbolism while the latter does this through body gesture. “Catharsis” portrays the release of emotional tension built up over the course of months as a way to bring myself to a healthier state of mind.
Even though these pieces are a reflection of myself as an individual, I intend for the audience to be able to relate or find themselves reflected within the themes of my artworks as well. I want the audience to feel emotionally connected to my work and become more introspective about their own psyche and sentiments.