Artist: Chloe B.

 

CURATORIAL RATIONALE

CHLOE B.

My vision for this body of work is a surreal, dream-like walk through my mind to experience the trials and tribulations of being a Gen-Z female. Growing up in the digital age has a unique impact on the minds of young adults that changes the way they view themselves and the ones around them. Through my exhibition, I wish to impart upon the audience the thoughts of my generation, giving them a glimpse into our often distressed minds. The three selected works focus on how young people make sense of the chaotic world in which we live, and how this understanding guides our self-concept. Moreover, they each demonstrate the effect that the forces of influences around us (social media, education, pop culture, etc.) have on our impressionable minds. I seek to give the audience a young  person’s perspective on the issues presented in my art; whether they be something more intimate like self-image and body standards, or something universal like the climate crisis. As older generations grew up in different global contexts, they may not view these matters in the same manner that Gen-Z people do. Thus, my art is intended to guide the audience to view them in a different light.

Both the abstract and concrete issues in my artworks are explored and presented in a bizarre, surrealistic manner, since I am greatly inspired by Surreal artists. For example, the roses have replaced the eyes in La Vie en Rose, and Anthropogenic Apocalypse features a strange, nightmarish sky. I find that exploring issues through metaphorical, fantastical depictions provides room for interpretation and creates more thought-provoking pieces. Although my pieces are not based in physical reality and scientific accuracy, they are all presented with a style of realism, as seen in life-like forms of La Vie en Rose. The use of realism, achieved through photographs, graphite, and acrylic paint brings the fantasy elements back down to Earth to communicate the weight and reality of the issues examined. Informed by every-day experiences such as scrolling through social media, or learning about climate change in school, my artworks are strongly based in my generational outlook shared by adolescents of the 21st century.

I aimed to use striking visuals to capture the audience’s attention in order to develop a relationship between the artwork and the viewer. The relationship is further achieved by transcending normalcy through eccentric visuals. The use of extreme fragmentation, haunting, almost inhuman figures, and unrealistic, peculiar landscapes pique the audience’s curiosity, probing the questions: what is being depicted, and what does it mean. The ambiguous nature of my artwork allows for the viewer to create a personal connection and interpretation of the art, even if it was not my intended meaning. The sequence of my artworks (Through My Lens, La Vie en Rose, Anthropogenic Apocalypse), is a journey from the inner psyche to the perils of the outer world, moving from my mind and thoughts to the global sphere.

Overall, I want my audience to understand that growing up in the age of information is not as easy as it may seem. I would like to introduce the viewer to different perspectives that immerse them in our generational struggle, as well as force them to revisit their preexisting views.

Title: Through My Lens

Date: November 2020

Medium: Photographic Collage

Size: 50.8 x 76.2 cm

This piece expresses social media’s strong influence on body image and self confidence. The fragmentation conveys the mental effects of body dysmorphia: an exaggerated sense of some features, and leaving you unable to see yourself as you truly are. Inspired by David Hockney’s photo joiners, this self portrait conveys deeper meaning through the combination of multiple perspectives of the same image. The piece captures the detrimental influence social media has on confidence and self-perception.

Title: La Vie en Rose

Date: March 2021

Medium: Graphite

Size: 27.94 x 35.56 cm

This piece expresses the damaging outcomes of photo retouching and plastic surgery on developing minds in the digital age. Critiquing how society has forced girls to look at themselves through an unrealistic lens, it portrays the mental toll of comparing themselves to the artificial, often ridiculous, body standards. Inspired by Miles Johnston’s surreal, introspective drawings, the dream-like, bizarre elements of the piece are depicted in a realistic manner using graphite.

Title: Anthropogenic Apocalypse

Date: February 2021

Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Size: 76.2 x 101.6 cm

This piece captures the helplessness of animals against the inescapable death and destruction brought to Earth by humans. It stresses the effects of climate change on the living things with whom we share our planet. The surreal aspects symbolize how climate change is encroaching upon nature’s way of life. John Martin’s apocalyptic paintings informed the unnatural, cavernous cloud forms and warm colour palette. Claude Lorarin’s use of depth and focus on nature also influenced this painting.