Eva
My exhibition looks mainly at the theme of ocean and voids, using predominantly the color blue. Initially my work focused on the fear of the ocean that I have and developed into a deeper reality and how that fear reflects in the body. My exhibition goes in two different directions, one about seascapes and the other on the female body. The seascape focused artworks depict more fear of the sea and create that void, using the reflection between the sea, land and sky. On the other hand the female body artworks relate to vulnerability and concern.
My exhibition explores the use of unusual material. I have used mirrors in the majority of my pieces bringing the audience into the artwork,and creating the concept of depth and some of the fear. Being a very fragile and particular material, handling mirrors is a complex process. The use of a mirror is complex and lacks workability therefore needing to adapt to the way of working, so that the attention is not diverted from the piece. The work called Fragmented Depth is composed mostly of mirrors, it has been arranged in a certain way to create a sense of disintegration of one's reflection made through the broken pieces of glass; it lets reality enter the piece. Reflecting Body is a work that marked a turning point in my artwork. I started working with the body, connecting fear and depth to a three-dimensional structure. In this piece the frame was created to give the impression that the figure is hiding. The mirrors added to the wire show this transparency where the public can see themselves into this deepeness. After working with the Body I started making two more pieces, Floating Body and Blue & Purple Arabesque.
A key artist who has inspired me the most through my process is Julio Le Parc with his way of working with reflection and light, which is clearly seen in my piece Mirrored Jellyfish. Mirrored Jellyfish uses light with different materials and string art in a similar way to Julio Le Parc. Another artist who especially inspired me for figure artworks is Henri Matisse with his blue nudes, mainly from the abstract forms of the body. Another artist who was crucial to the ideas for my pieces was Georgia O'keeffe, I was inspired by her use of colors in her landscape pieces and the layers she creates with color.
My exhibition is arranged in a rectangular room with a central part with two pillars. On the left side of the room are the artworks based on the seascapes and the fear of the sea. The use of the mirror is more prominent on the left side and its approach is more worrying and disturbing due to the use of darker colors especially with the center pieces of the wall Blue Abyss. On the right side of the room, the works are more oriented towards the female body, however the hanging piece in front of the drawings creates a transition between the left side and right side of the room. The artworks still use the colors blue which refers to the ocean but represents more of the vulnerability and fear that can be portrayed in the Blue & Purple Arabesque work which depicts a knot in the stomach. The centerpiece of the room is Mirrored Jellyfish reflecting off its surroundings. Placing Mirrored Jellyfish in the center creates this pulpit effect. The two other artworks at the back of the room are those which the public sees last .They have been put on the back because they don’t quite correspond to the other artworks so they don’t disturb the theme.
My exhibition attempts to challenge the audience’s perception of depth and fear, encouraging them to consider that depth can represent both transparency and disorder. My use of a mirror and the color blue in my work reminds us that despite the beauty and awe that water evokes, it can also present the audience with a grim reminder of our own mortality and layers of reality. My vision of my exhibition is that the public questions the reality of depth, not only at the physical level but also the depth of consciousness, fears and experiences.
Reflecting Body (Dec 2022)
Wire, mirror, acrylic paint
40 x 30 cm
The intention of Reflecting Body was for the piece to interact with the environment around it. The use of the mirrors lets the audience see themselves, emphasizing their own image and what is around them. On the opposite side the dark blue colour infers the idea of deeper depth. The body is made with only one line, also creating this never ending effect of depth. The piece is reminiscent of Matisse’s Blue Nudes and Calder’s wire sculptures.
