Year Three – FAD | UVT – MARIA MICHAELA

Here are works of art that I have done or am working on for my third year. As this year is my final year I have to prepare a dissertation. The process photos, videos, etc, for this will be on a different page. The final paintings of course will be at the bottom of this post.

Here are sketches I did for a project which I then decided to turn into a series. Words from my proffessor about the project:

We have become accustomed to “living with the pandemic,” as we often call it? Are we tired of being conditioned by our existence? Can we return to our activities by ignoring this context? As artists, can we ignore the present and (re) connect to common past practices? How are our relations affected during this period?
This last question, from this series, seems to be one to which it is not impossible to give an answer, for the moment, based on what we feel directly, each one. It is a question that can also open a series of other questions. For example: how do we feel in the various moments of interaction “with or without a mask”? How do we use art as an intermediary in communication? In what way do the changes in communication that have taken place now shed new light on the relations between us, in general, and their social importance? Has the need for interaction with others become more acute or have we turned more to communicating with ourselves? Have we learned to better articulate our personal needs so that we no longer consume resources in a harmful way? and so on

I chose to focus on myself and express this through self portraits. After all this time has been very lonely and therefore allows lots of room for introspection. I went with caterpillars because they transform into a butterfly. I was more aiming at just the “transition” of caterpillar – to – butterfly – to reflect inner change on me. Also I thought it would be a bright and much more colourful idea.

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” – Nikki Giovanni

Above is my response to: I – me – self – ego – alter ego versus Non-I – the others – the world – reality. I chose to focus on my relationship with my self and to explore my connection to art. The above works are created by outlining my hand repeatedly. The outcome was to create a composition that was visually pleasing out of an act that was child-like. Reconnecting to my inner child has allowed me to explore interests and hobbies which make me feel whole.