The Artist Statement
by Maria Paola Calderon
Ever since the beginning of my path in IB Visual Arts, I had always been creating depictions of animals in dynamic poses or imitating human actions. These initial concepts sparked my desire to explore human interference in nature and its repercussions. I developed my theme after being exposed to fake media and the “sugarcoating” of news. Watching viral videos of "cute" exotic animals and learning that their atrocious conditions are hidden from the general audience led me to establish my theme: denouncing animal abuse and trafficking. Through this theme, I explored the widespread human interference in nature while denouncing and bringing to light this pressing issue.
I explored the theme by developing concepts related to it; I focused more on thematic coherence rather than a stylistic one, since depicting my concepts in different mediums would ultimately suggest how this issue is ubiquitous.
Three ideas central to my theme and works are: human interference, perspective, and freedom. The works for human interference, such as Human Ink, were intended to present sharp contrasts between the natural and the human-made. The second idea dwells on how perspective changes each person’s reality. Looking at the works in a certain way influences the viewer’s feelings towards it. This is evident in Time to Hunt, which presents the idea of mundane fishing equipment as tools for animal torture. Finally, freedom is the result of alienation from society and mankind. Escape depicts a sharp contrast between the human and the natural worlds, justifying this concept.
Everything is arranged according to each work’s concept and size. The portrait is in the center to emphasize how humans are prime figures in this issue. Its small size undervalues its importance while highlighting the rest of the works. As a way of emphasizing the “inferiority” of humans, the largest work, Perspective is next to it. Mercy is positioned on eye-level to place the viewers and the animals on the same position, Freedom is on the right to simulate the movement of the bird in the painting, as if trying to come out from the canvas. Time to Hunt is arranged with this line of thought, since I tried to simulate how light appears to come from the side. Human Ink is on the lower-center to aid viewers in looking at the details of the piece. Finally, plants were placed on the borders to add a more natural aspect to my exhibition.
Studio Work
Escape by Paola Calderon
Digital Painting done in Photoshop CS5. 30x20in
This work showcases the happiness that accompanies freedom from humanization. The subjects are portrayed in a cartoon-like style, suggesting that such a happy outcome, that of completely freeing themselves from man’s atrocious actions, is as fictional as the painting itself. The sharp contrast between the warm hues of the bird and the cold ones in the rest of the painting emphasizes the conflict between nature and humans, presenting them as opposing forces.
Human Ink by Paola Calderon
Pen on cardboard, wire. 31 x 27 inches
This piece was inspired by the technique used by the Japanese artist, Sagaki Keita, characterized by using doodles to create a larger image. Human Ink denounces the widespread manner in which humans interfere in nature. The clustered doodles represent man’s will, and their way of crafting the shape of the flamingo reflects the way humans seek to control and shape nature without considering the negative repercussions that arise from such actions
Human Ink by Paola Calderon
Pen on cardboard, wire. 31 x 27 inches. (Close ups)
Interference by Paola Calderon
Oils on canvas. 11x24in
This portrait is the only piece that explicitly presents a human. By positioning this piece surrounded by works that depict animals or nature, humans are presented as the minority in the exhibition. Its small size in comparison to the rest of the works further emphasizes this inferiority. Furthermore, the work’s position in the center reminds viewers that, although presented as subordinates in my exhibition, humans are still central to the issue of animal trafficking.
Mercy by Paola Calderon
Scratchboard. 29x16in
As suggested by its name, this work is a call for sympathy. The black bear, slow loris, and red panda shown are endangered animals that are prime victims of animal trafficking. The depiction of the animals staring straight at the viewers is meant to hook the audience and evoke compassion due to their expressions. The slow loris is afraid, the black bear angry, and the red panda naïve. These expressions add a human aspect to the animals, suggesting how animals feel emotions as well.
Perspective - Tusks by Paola Calderon
White charcoal on paper. 30.5x24.5in
This work dwells with the way perspective influences people’s perception of reality. Viewers are invited to use mobile devices to invert the colors of the piece; this process reflects the way media depicts “cute” animals to hide the reality of their dreadful conditions, which actually boosts their illegal trade. The original piece with dark negative spaces represents the atrocious reality animals suffer, while the “clean”, digitalized version depicts the “sugarcoated” reality we are exposed to.
Time to Hunt by Paola Calderon
Acrylics on canvas. 16x20in
Through this painting, I wanted to demonstrate a different perspective to wildlife abuse and cruelty. Fishing equipment is no different than a gun or a cage: they are all man-made tools meant for manipulation and exertion of human authority. By depicting such ordinary objects that most people use or have used at some point, I want to emphasize how this issue of animal cruelty is not as distant as we might think.
Exhibition setting
Paola Calderon
No comments:
Post a Comment