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Without art, I would be nothing but the carbon and hydrogen that make up my body. Like oxygen, art animates me, providing the energy that drives my movement through life. Like air, it is invisible and a mystery. I have learned that true art is found in curiosity: curiosity to find the stories that create our surroundings and impact our lives. I was born a storyteller. I have always loved to look at people – not to stare, because that’s rude – but to make stories about them. I used to do it to pass time, but now it serves as a way to relax and inspire myself. I look beyond their faces, beyond their worn out jackets, their red lipsticks. I can read their hands, their mouths and the arches of their backs. I become sensitive to the emotions of the people around me. When most people think of art, they think of paintings and sculptures displayed on white cubes, but believing that this is the only form of art is a lie. Art is found in the formation of clouds, the lighting on the street, and the elaborate red vintage dress of an old lady on the bus. Art is everywhere, and I know that I must learn from the beauty around us. My work becomes influenced by the events and people around me. Therefore, my work usually touches upon the issues of the lack of aid for people in poverty, religious persecution, the separation of people based on class and race and gender roles in society. As an artist, I believe I must take into account that I am responsible, not only for creating new forms of art, but also for highlighting and addressing important issues to the public and to my community of artists. Physically, my work becomes an amalgam of sculpture, painting, and video projection. I blend mixtures of realism, aesthetics, and surreal distortion to create my art. Recently, I started working with video projection and I would like to learn how to work with different materials and forms of art to widen my arsenal of tools and techniques at my disposal. I want to push the boundaries on installation art and new digital art. I have had a classical upbringing in art and wish to learn everything I can to then create new ways to express my concepts and ideology that I believe is important. I believe that art allows us to learn from each other, and beauty opens a pathway for understanding. |