My exhibition has been carefully chosen and placed due to a certain theme throughout each of these pieces, this theme is reflection. Reflection is a theme that is demonstrated through media and visual interpretation. Reflection can be defined as visual where one’s reflection can be seen in an image, however, reflection is also a process of thought where one can revisit impactful memories and feelings throughout their lives. All of these pieces in my exhibition have been inspired through a reflective process whether in my life or by learning new artistic processes. Throughout my artistic journey I have been told that I need a noticeable connection that holds all of my pieces together. My connections are demonstrated through the use of mediums and the overall meanings of these collected works. Each piece is distinct from the others and at first glance it may be described as random, however, this collection is connected through aspects that must be seen with interpretive eyes and an open mind.
The connections of my pieces flow like a natural thought process, it can be a little odd at times, but it leads to new discovery and allows the creativity of the artistic mind to wander. I wanted to inspire my viewers to see the beauty of their natural instinct to create and how what you create reflects how one truly feels and who they are. Each of my pieces reflect a different part of myself and they each present certain emotions towards the audience that I want them to reflect on inside their own minds. Some of these emotions are shown through facial expression, but most of these emotions are shown through the way one interacts with the world or through what someone recalls when viewing these images or objects. Reflecting on past experiences always brings emotions with them, negative or positive, these emotions are always there and they are important, otherwise they would be forgotten. Throughout this exhibition I wish to reflect on past emotions for me personally and for the audience because we need to take time to reflect on what makes us who we are.
My exhibition starts with the perspective of a young man viewing himself in a shattered mirror. This shattered mirror depicts his broken spirit due to many tumultuous times and experiences throughout his life. The way he views himself in this mirror shows the viewer that he is lost and he is trying to determine where he needs to go to continue through his life and come out stronger. This piece is able to reach inside the minds of many people because we all go through difficult times and we all can see ourselves as broken, but what is important is how we move forward during these times and how we are able to put ourselves back together after we are broken. This piece is important to interpret because when we reflect on our hardest times we see how vulnerable we are, but we also see our capacity to grow and to strengthen ourselves into who we want to be. Many of my pieces have similar underlying themes of self love and self reflection, however, there are also pieces that cause memories to arise and cause us to reflect on the people who helped us to become who we are.
As we go through all of these pieces, many of them cause different memories and emotions to arise. A diptych that I created helps us to reflect on knowledge and the influence of the people around us as we grow and helps us to reflect on the process of our growth through times of stress and confusion. The holiday pieces help us to reflect on traditions and family interaction because of all the memories that arise from the repetition of traditions and the meaningful times that we spend with our families. The nature pieces help us to reflect on the beauty of the natural world and where we all originally come from. I want all of these pieces to inspire my viewers to reflect on who they are and everything that they have been through to get to where they are comfortable with themselves.
