Woven 2014
Woven is a particularly significant installation to me. Not only is it a philosophical piece about life and humanity, but also it is a very intense self-portrait. When I look at Woven, I feel anxiety, fear, and entrapment, which stems from a personal struggle with change. In addition, when I look at Woven, I see traditional symbols re-invented to help me question the nature of humanity, and how we fit into a complex network of realities.
Wire is the encompassing element in my piece, and is like an expressive drawing. This wire acts both as a cage and shrine that gives a feeling of restraint and adoration. Cautious reverence belongs to the heart of the piece, the apple-eye sculpture. The eye rests in a live apple that I hand-picked for this experience. The slowly rotting of this apple emphasizes the natural decay of time, and points to the inevitability of our mortality. Lastly, the overall red-tint of the installation exists to intensify the viewer’s emotional participation. The psychological implications of the color red register in the bolder spectrum of human emotion, passion and anger are both associated with red.
Withholding a lot of excruciating detail, I want to say this artwork is a result of a two-year project which has taught me so much about myself as an artist and a human. Although my time in Academia is ending, and I feel the encroaching of a new reality, I believe that this work is still continuing to evolve.
This belief brings new hope in the face of terrifying unknowns, and helps me dive deeper into the interwovenness of life yet again.