Sophia Curbelo

SERIES 1: Freedom in Captivity

Watercolor, Ink & Mixed-Media on Paper

In this series, I wanted to draw attention to how the recent developments of urban environments have been at the expense of the virgin, organic aspects of life; instead of having a nice balance between nature and man, we greedily bulldoze over natural environments and also our own senses of individuality along the way. The development that occurs in our current society, which can be referred to as urban sprawl, is centered around making quick profits despite being ill-planned; tract-housing, which dominates the United States, is the epitome of this reality. The way that a person can combat this system that favors money is, of course, hone in on their individuality and reach somewhat of a personal freedom. Though, this is not as easy as said. For instance, the Buddha statue, which is a recurring symbol in this series, represents the conflict of whether this statue that has been placed in someone’s yard is representative of the homeowner’s identity regarding his/her Buddhist belief or it is an illusion of such representation considering that this statue was most likely manufactured in a factory somewhere that is owned by a company that has no connection to the Buddhist belief. In short, expressing oneself in a society that focuses too much on money is riddled with paradoxes. 

SERIES 2: The Perils of Change

Marker, Ink and Colored Pencil on Paper

Growing up is not all that easy. We all have to eventually go through new experiences, especially ones that could engulf us if we were to not be careful with handling this change. Some may hold a fear towards change because of this potential of being overwhelmed; this includes me. Even though I am an individual that desires change in our world ridden with problems, I am scared of change happening to me personally. I find myself hesitating to jump into the treacherous waves of the unknown when it peers back at me; I’d rather be situated in the comfortable known rather than the unpredictable. But knowing myself, I’ll have to eventually dive in, whether it be from a force that pushes me in or the inevitable boredom I’ll suffer from remaining in the known. 

Sketchbook

My sketchbook is where I let loose and also plan my artworks. It is a very important book to me as I am a person who relies on visuals to articulate what I am thinking.