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Description
Homelessness is my ongoing concern. While volunteering to help the homeless I have been able to listen to their stories. These stories have put images in my head that as an artist I want to materialize and present in my thesis project. Tribulations is an exhibition of symbolic portraits that explore the emotional aspect of homelessness. Creating a portrait allowed me to investigate, observe and make interpretations. It involved the development of a relationship between two people thus allowing me as an artist and the subject to co-construct a narrative. Through these symbolic portraits I want to bring our human experience into context. Through collecting and interpreting data I implemented an object that speaks about how this societal issue affects the subject as well as the artist in me and alludes to the society in which we are living. The body of work for Tribulations deals with portraying the most vulnerable and critical moments felt by a person going through homelessness. There are many different paths for someone to become homeless and many assumptions and stereotypes involving their situation that obscure our perceptions. Tribulations is comprised of six portraits presented in a classical gallery setting. Each portrait is meant to convey the inner feelings of a homeless person and a glimpse into the world they live in. The visual information provided by the works is intended for the viewer to question his/her own assumptions about homelessness. Some objects are made out of clay, a material that allows for manipulation and thus the possibility of becoming expressive. The use of clay forms, so brittle and delicate adds to fragility of the situations that the homeless find themselves into. Other elements are found objects that are placed in unison with the clay. These allude to the environment behind the story. With the monochromatic quality of the objects presented and their materiality I am set out to provoke a sense of starkness and desolation. The M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, Tribulations, was displayed in the Everett G. Jackson Gallery at San Diego State University from December 7th through the 12th, 2015.
