Andrea Perez

“Day By Day”

Our surroundings and environment shape who we are as humans. I personally find much inspiration from the world around me and the people I surround myself with. As an eighteen-year-old living in the year 2021, I have experienced many things from a devastating hurricane that passed through my island, to a global pandemic. Just like many artists, I have found inspiration and based my work on what was going on in the world around me. I took inspiration from artists such as Takashi Murakami and his work such as “Supernova” and how it came about after tragedies involving power plant explosions. I have decided that the theme of my exhibition would be how my life has been affected by the Covid-19 virus. 

This global pandemic affected people's lives in many ways and I drew inspiration from my own experience in it. Most pieces are inspired by my newfound daily, never-ending routine. I also incorporated things that viewers of my work could relate to, such as the inclusion of masks and the virus itself, so people could identify with my work. What I hope to achieve with this exhibit is to show people my personal experience in this pandemic and try and help them know that they are not alone.

Most of the pieces in my exhibit are digital pieces that have been printed to size. The use of digital media was intentional. The pandemic caused many people to stay home and cut down on physical interactions, whether it was from family, friends, school, and work. This led to everyone having to rely on the internet and technology to continue with their lives. I found myself more connected than ever and wanted to show how it even affected my creativity and artistic choices. The excess of digital media is meant to represent how technology ruled over my daily life in such a drastic way.

The works are placed in a type of chronological order, according to my experience during this pandemic. It starts off with “What’s In The Air” which is a digital triple self-portrait with Covid-19 particles floating around in the air. This was chosen as the first piece to place myself in the pandemic, looking around at the new world we begin to adapt to, with new restrictions and regulations. It then moves on to the second piece which is a two-piece series where one piece is masks and the other is the Covid-19 virus. Inspired by Takashi Murakami’s Superflats and his cartoonish art style, I wanted to present the new variables in people's lives after quarantine, which are the masks and the virus itself. The third piece is a digital piece of my room, titled “Dim Lights”, with purple being the predominant color in the piece. Because of quarantine restrictions, I spend more time in my room than I have ever before. Having to be in this confined space for over a year made being in it uneventful and dull. The choice of purple in the piece is meant to represent the somber mood I experienced during this time because purple is not a sad nor happy color but an in-between. The exhibition then cuts to my mixed media pieces where I have a Covid-19 paper mache sculpture and painted masks. This is the period in the timeline where quarantine restrictions were lifted and people could go out again but with regulations to prevent any more spread. The painted mask series titled “See Through” represents how one is able to go see the world once again but with masks in between, not allowing one to have the full “normal” experience. The exhibition ends with a line art portrait of my sister wearing a mask. This piece is meant to represent my current present where nothing is new is happening but rather people are adjusting more to this new reality, hence why the piece has a blank background, symbolizing starting over. 

The goal of this exhibition is to have the audience see my experience during this pandemic period and find ways to relate to it and create a connection with my work.