Ece Janine E. - Sense of Place
Curatorial Rationale
My art depicts a journey, the journey of an unnamed character who desperately desires freedom and change. On a personal level, it is my very own journey having to learn how to love and accept myself the way I am as a little girl struggling with societal expectations and forced standards. The audience is not only intended to follow this character’s journey, they are compelled to be a part of it. In works such as The Union of The Ostracized and Eloquent Arils negative spaces have been left for the viewer to place themselves within the crowd. Along with confrontation with the audience that takes part in a multitude of different artworks to intensify the compulsion. The exhibition aims to achieve this influence within the audience.
EXHIBITION PIECES
Disconnect/Discontent
Soft pastels on A3 paper
42 cm x 29.7 cm
This is a chaotic depiction of our rotten society with mannequin-like individuals who seem blinded by it except one who realizes the corruption. The harshness of the pitch black patterns, the icy shades on the people and the striking stare of the main character creates an eerie ambiance. The form flowing around, going below and above people symbolizes its influence on them and how heavily impacted they are by the words of others but people are slowly starting to grasp the serious dilemma.
A Morsel?
Watercolors on A4 paper
27.5 cm x 21 cm
This depiction of the contrast between the virtuous and the evil shows the former mannequin now a soul character offering an apple for the purpose of spreading Truth. The apple and the spilled blood are real elements that represent honesty in a world of corruption. The two motifs above turn into lightning expressing anger to those who have awoken from the curse. Contrasting complementary colors of the golden yellow and wine purple depict the virtuous and the evil, thankfully, the good is near.
The Union of The Ostracized
Acrylic on canvas (triptych)
80 cm x 180 cm
Depiction of the union of all ostracized societies and lost characters who no longer yearn for a sense of belonging. The negative spaces are where the viewer can place themselves within the crowd. In this space, all are welcome. Apples symbolize the religious forbidden fruit in many colors in all religions and cultures. The pomegranate is separate from the apples to show change. Consumption of a heart flows into the next artwork with the repeated heart symbol.
Serenely Gutted
Plaster, pantyhose and polyester filling
60 cm x 25 cm x 52 cm
This sculpture accentuates the symbolism of organs in the previous work. It is a representation of literally becoming one with your inner self. The heart elicits the different emotions while the abdomen, represented by the intestines, symbolizes the intensity of the emotions. The position of the intestine reinforces the idea of “pushing boundaries”. This work was inspired by “Healers” by David Altmajed. The composition of this work is similar to ‘Healers’ due to the exposed hollow form.
Self Love In The Form of a Grapefruit
Acrylic on board
25 cm x 35 cm
The apple, symbolizing hope for prosperity, now transitions into a grapefruit, symbolizing self love. An apple is offered previously in A Morsel? to those outside of the ostracized, however, to those in the community, a grapefruit is offered. Learning to love oneself is the next step in the rejection of society. The return of the flowy patterns portray the embracing of the unfairness in society through the acquisition of self love.
Punica Granatum
Plaster cast mold with acrylic paint and dark shoe polish
10 cm x 5 cm x 9 cm
The final transitioned version of the apple. Pomegranates in my work symbolize life and power. As stated, self love is not everything; however, through self love brings power and learning to live life. A punica granatum (a pomegranate flower) has been painted inside the pomegranate to depict the blossom of one’s character: mentally, physically, emotionally, and such. Which is the process all characters, even fruits, experience in my art as conscious beings.
Brewing Connections
Photography
30 cm x 30 cm
All tea is made from one plant, camellia sinensis. Tea is also what unites us all. The photographs consist of five different situations with people drinking tea: eating, reading, looking outside a window, and conversing. They have been captured through the lens of teas that produce different colors: earl gray, green tea, and butterfly pea tea, to symbolize the differences in all teas, yet the fact that they all originate from the same being, like us.
Warm Luminance
Mixed media: paper lanterns, acrylic paint, faux flowers, real flowers dried, decor paper
23 cm x 24 cm x 30 cm
Floral wallpapers, a part of most childhoods, depicted in 3 different forms to symbolize its existence in each time period. The lanterns represent the light these wallpapers add to our lives, enhancing the symbolism of its omnipresence. The traditional wallpaper arouses nostalgia, a childhood home. The abstract depiction portrays the present, one is constructed by their past. The lantern with plants depicts wallpapers in nature. A wall covered in vines and plants is another being’s wallpaper.