Curatorial Rationale

Creating art is a way that many people choose to express themselves, their emotions and desires. I have always viewed my art as an extension of myself, a way to show the world what it means to be me. Throughout my artmaking process I was guided by the question “what is personality and what influences me to be me?” In the past two years I created eight unique artworks that represent different aspects of and influences on my personality. My vision for this exhibition is to allow audiences into my personality and I intend to show the audience different expressions and aspects of my personality and encourage the viewer to reflect on themselves and what influences them to be unique.

The theme of personality is seen throughout my exhibition in many forms. From the exploration of personal beliefs and interests to self reflection, to community, self esteem, personal development and the importance of solitude, I’ve explored many different avenues of my personality and areas that have influenced me. I have experimented with mediums including acrylic, digital design, photography, paper clay and mache, modroc, oil paint, watercolor and textiles, each of which helped me explore different aspects of my personality. The oil painting Sunset over Ascona is my favorite, it is a very personal piece, with it not only being a discussion of personal struggles, but also being a motivational piece, one to encourage the audience to seek solitude and self reflection.

During my development as an artist I also began unintentionally incorporating recurring themes such as the recurrence of my favorite animal, an octopus (in How I Change and Own Your Strengths), as well as my love for nature (in Life, TI CH, Sunset over Ascona and Midday at Lago Maggiore). I believe the recurrence of such themes occurred due to my personal connection to these pieces. Although My White Lies is an artwork that reflects a deep and personal emotion, I believe that I identify more with positive themes, and that these are easier to explore as I find myself more motivated to create art when producing works that reflect themes of love, happiness, growth and gratitude. The two works that consumed the most of my time are Own Your Strengths and Conspiracy. Own Your Strengths has been my favorite to work on, as I was able to produce so many different items which compiled into a series exhibited as an installation. These items were mainly hand sewn, allowing me to explore and develop new skills. Conspiracy was the first artwork I created and one of the last ones I completed. It was a challenge to create such a detailed portrait without having prior experience painting acrylic portraits. The artwork is also the one that least reflects aspects of my personality. I maintain my personal connection through the hardships I undertook to complete the piece. Although it visually only reflects a personal interest of mine, it unintentionally became a symbol of my growth and perseverance.

It was my intention to produce an exhibition that visualizes my personality and encourages the viewer to reflect on themselves and question what influences them to be unique. The arrangement of the selected works emphasizes and justifies my intentions, as the audience is taken on a path which visually displays struggles I faced, how I coped, and how I eventually overcame them yet also allowing them to question their own personality. The arrangement begins with the motivational work of Own Your Strengths, a choice I made to create an optimistic tone for the rest of the exhibition. The viewer is then guided through the work in an order that best represents my personality and the journey I have been through. A central piece within the exhibition is my artwork Life which stands within its own circular space representing the immensity that is life. Furthermore, I deliberately chose Sunset over Ascona to be the last artwork in my exhibition; a sunset marking the end of a day, and therefore the end of my exhibition. I hope that the colors and undisturbed nature of the piece allows viewers to leave with a better understanding of my personality and the tools to reflect on their own.

Exhibition Photographs

Exhibition texts and images of selected work

Studio Piece 1

Own Your Strengths (July 2020)

Dimensions: 2x2cm - 100x100cm

Own Your Strengths is a logo designed to empower whoever is wearing it. Inspired by the many logos and ideograms surrounding us in our daily life, I wanted to create something inspirational and memorable to the viewer. The importance of personal acceptance of personality, appearance and interest, amongst individuals is something I attempt to reinforce and capture; by simply viewing the logo it is my intention to remind the viewer of their self worth.

Studio piece 2

How I Change (November 2019)

Dimensions: 10x10cm, 10x10cm, 10x10cm

Inspired by Nicolin and Manchand, the series How I Change visually represents how I change my personality based on the environment I am in. Like many cephalopods, octopus can change their color at will, making it possible for them to blend into their environment and change their appearance at will.

Studio piece 3

Conspiracy (November 2020)

Dimensions: 17x24 cm

Taking inspiration from and combining Borsi’s human portraits with animals and Manchand’s realistic painting of reptiles, I created a piece which represents a commonly believed conspiracy theory. The theory goes, that humanity is controlled by an ancient human-lizard species, and that many famous people are of this species. Conspiracy explores how my personal interests have changed and impacted my life.

Studio piece 4

The Guilt of White Lies (October 2019)

Modroc and Acrylic

Dimensions: 28x42 cm, 32x47 cm

As a person with a sensitive personality, the idea of lying to someone makes me feel incredibly guilty; this chest piece represents how the guilt I feel whenever I tell a white lie spreads through my body like a disease. The color selection, inspired by Egger, enhances this emotion without vibrant distraction. The piece aims to challenge perception of white lies and make one question their necessity and give me an opportunity to admit my guilt.

Studio piece 5

Life (February 2020)

Dimensions: 21x43 cm

Inspired by Hundertwasser, this sculpture challenges the idea of growth and change. Throughout their life, represented by the spirals, one’s personality changes, this change is shown by the variety of spiral sizes and colors. Through experimentation and growth I created an artwork that changed shape and color until the moment it was completed. The creation of this artwork helped me gain more knowledge about myself and improve as an artist and a person.

Studio piece 6

TI, CH (Ticino, Switzerland) (August 2020)

Dimensions: 60x80 cm

TI, CH is a photograph that represents my community. Inspired by Arnesen and Reifer, I took a photograph of my family’s boat on the Lago Maggiore in Ticino. My parents are on the boat, representing those who raised me and shaped my personality, morals and goals, to become who I am today. At the front are my two best friends; they inspire me every day to be proud of who I am and help me become a better person. This photograph is a tribute to my community, for inspiring me everyday.

Studio piece 7

Midday at Lago Maggiore (November 2020)

Dimensions: 21x30 cm

Inspired by Black and Monet, Midday at Lago Maggiore is a reference to the positive impact solitude in nature can have on mental health. The susceptibility to mental health problems can be greatly impacted by personality, and a practice of solitude has always helped me regain control of my emotions and mental health. I created this artwork in hopes to inspire the viewer to seek solitude and recognize the power of self healing.

Studio piece 8

Sunset over Ascona (February 2021)

Dimensions: 50x70 cm

Sunset over Locarno, also inspired by Black and Monet, is a representation of peace and safety I feel when viewing the Lago Maggiore. As a person with a sensitive personality and turbulent emotions it has been incredibly helpful to seek comfort in the beauty of nature. Watching the sunset over the lake every summer has helped me become a greater version of myself and as this is the last piece of my exhibition, I hope to leave the viewer with hope and new inspiration for the future.