Amaris Beal
Amaris Beal - Curatorial Rationale
I discovered a passion for nature and human development and I chose to create a theme from it that would resonate in all of my works. My theme is the conflict between human development and nature. I hope to demonstrate how we as people throw our garbage away along with bringing it in. I also hope to demonstrate how when we tear a tree down it always decides to re-emerge and tries to come through the crevices of the cement. We see this when we walk down the street and we see little specks of green coming up in between the cracks in the cement. I hope to connect this back to that exact feeling you see when you see a beautiful tree cut down, and I hope to encourage people to recycle more or even plant a few trees. I hope to connect to my viewers on an emotional level as well as physical. I hope my theme of human development and nature will resonate with those who like to observe and watch.
When I began the journey of finding a theme I began with the question: what are things that I like to explore, and nature came to my mind, and I decided that I wanted to explore nature and human development. I came to the conclusion that after one of my favorite pieces was finished that this would be what fuels the rest of my two years in DP Visual Arts. One of the first pieces I did was of a small wooden puppet and the objective of that project was to distort and that's what I did and realize that overtime what I had painted became something else and that is what happens with old buildings. I connected it back to a lot of old buildings that we see that have lots of weeds growing on the sides and moss growing up the side and I think this is what pushed me to explore the different ideas within human development and nature. Towards the end of my first year and the beginning of my second year in DP Visual Arts, I noticed that I liked to do a lot of 3 dimensional pieces, which inspired me for my last few pieces for the exhibition to incorporate those ideas that I had and bring them to life.
I hope that the way I organized brings to life my ideas that it would be a continuous life and death in nature demonstration. I began with a simple idea that would ask answer a question about the meaning and message. What am I demonstrating in these pieces, and what will fuel others to look at the rest of the pieces after? My answer is I want to demonstrate the fight between human development and nature. I wanted the end result in my viewers mind to be is human development triumphant or is nature triumphant and it's fight to gain dominance. This is a question I ask myself, while ordering my pieces. I end with a simple piece, but in between are the intricate fights between which is more triumphant in our everyday lives.
Suffocation ( February 2021)
Digital photography
8 in x 10 in
The fish are both food, and living things and they are being killed slowly by our waste in the ocean. Also how the food we make resembles a fish, while the packaging kills them also.
Amaris Beal
Let Me Breathe (November 2020)
oil paint on cardboard, yarn, paper, gum wrapper, tape, metal, hot glue
4 in x 8.25 in x 4 in
This is a tree and the pollution that surrounds it and by killing trees we kill ourselves. I choose to use these materials such as metal and a gum wrapper because both come from the earth and then are thrown back into the earth used and damaged, much like how we treat the earth.
Amaris Beal
Clash (April 2020)
Digital Photography
12 in x 24 in
This is meant to show the clear clash between the earth and its never ending mission to rebuild, and human development and its mission. In the picture we can all see how the earth and the cement clash and how the grass is leaned over as if it were growing around and emerging up.
Once Upon A Building (October 2020)
cotton on glass
4.5in x 10in x 4.5in
This is the opposite of the piece I made called Clash. It is meant to show how the earth can overwhelm even the biggest building in the world if given the chance.
Sustainment (February 2021)
Yarn, plastic, paper, oil on plastic
7 in x 9 in x 6 in
This is meant to demonstrate the toxic waste we put into our soil, along with the chemicals and dyes used to create the toxic waste. Wet and dry paper used on the inside to demonstrate regardless of the paper's state of being we are still suffocating ourselves by killing trees.
Entanglement (January 2020)
Acrylic Paint on Canvas
28 in. x 10 in.
My intentions for this were to demonstrate that the vines are our life line and even though we are in the world, we are not of this world but each of us is a piece of the world in its own.
Walking for a Better Tomorrow (March 2020)
spray paint and oil on fabric
11in x 10in x 12in
I wanted to demonstrate the beauty of what can come from human development, because in my comparative study I make my perception seem negative like I am condemning human development, but there is beauty in the everyday destruction of the modern world.
Outreaching (August 2020)
Digital photograph
12in x 24in
As the last piece I hope this demonstrates both the beauty, and conflict between nature and human development.