The selection of works in my exhibition demonstrates the power of place and connection. Through my artistic representation of this idea, I strive to convey the significance that various places and the people that are associated with them have in my life. I hope that the audience will resonate with the images in a way that moves them to feel a bit of the emotion of connection that I felt as I created these artworks. I hope the audience also notices an exploration of the lack of connection during the pandemic and can resonate with that feeling of isolation in specific pieces.

The power of place has always had a strong influence on my life. I have been fortunate enough to have many places that I am still able to call home. In New York City, I have spent days auditioning for ballet intensives, attending a photography program, and meeting lifelong friends. It is where I learned skills that I’ve been able to use in my artwork, and it’s a place that feels like home. Summer in New York, a watercolor and pen drawing inspired by Zhifang Shi’s technique depicts a row of buildings in the city. Through the incorporation of their logo, the painting recognizes the connections I built while studying at the School of Visual Arts. Paris is a place I always dreamed of visiting. It is where my family is from, and once I got the opportunity to go, I felt right at home. Le Printemps À Paris illustrates the old building I stayed in while visiting Paris. These two watercolor paintings, their styles both inspired by Zhifang Shi, represent places that contain people with whom I have made meaningful connections. Connection is the most important part of every place that I go. The rest of my artwork is representative of the significant connections that I have built in the places that I love. As the viewer moves left to right past the two architectural paintings displayed first, they come to a painting entitled Viewpoint. It depicts the various eyes of my friends which sparks the viewer’s idea of connection to other people. The viewer then reaches three different pieces that picture people I have built connections with. Hala shows a young girl from across the world I was able to paint, and Model Series displays a column of photographs of a model I got the opportunity to work with, and Matt and Bear begins the exploration of art during the pandemic. The watercolor drawing shows a friend who has lacked human relationships during the pandemic and has had to find connection in his dog. Finally, the viewer reaches two self-portraits. Plant Girl depicts my head as a hanging pot with a plant coming out of my skull. It represents the lonely feelings during the pandemic and the lack of artistic ideas. Saturn Woman shows a more powerful looking image of myself as the planet Saturn. It represents the growth that has occurred for me emotionally over the past year and the focus I have been able to give to myself.

While this time has allowed me to focus on relationships that are physically closer to home, I have struggled with feeling unable to connect with my far-away friends. I hope that this body of work shows the viewer how powerful relationships can be and I hope they can connect to the recent struggles of isolation in the pandemic. By not incorporating mats or frames onto my artworks, I hope this will allow the viewer to have their own personal experience with each piece that is free of distractions.