COCO FICARRA

12 STUDIO ARTS

Humanity

I chose to explore the complex theme of Humanity, looking at both the internal and external nature of the meaning. I sourced my own Cultural Identity and Interconnectedness as my first inspiration which evoked the desire to focus heavily on language, numbers, colour and cultural symbols as a commentary on what brings people together, as well as what separates us. I then explored the concept of Human Anatomy, and the wide concept of Harmony - which looked at both within society and the environment. My artworks focus on the different stages of human existence, and humanity itself.

My first artwork titled ‘A Land of Pleasure’ replicates the progression of humanity to a more harmonious society. Heavily influenced by nature and my Japanese and Italian cultural heritage, I aim to bring light to the importance of both celebrating and rewarding cultural hybridity, especially in times where many people often feel marginalised or viewed differently by their cultural differences. Through the utilisation of certain analogous and complementary colours, I aim to reflect a sense of harmony alluding to the idea that although our humanity is indeed chaotic and may be disheartening at times, we are able to both live and create harmony with one another.

My second artwork titled ’人 (between heaven and earth)’ channels the interconnectedness of beauty and disturbance within chaos. The idea of the balance of harmony and chaos, the good and the bad, is drawn from myself as the subject matter, my personal experiences and further learning and commenting on both the global community and politics.

My third artwork titled ‘Three's a Crowd’ draws all my concepts together which enabled me to explore all dimensions of my overall theme. The symbolism of ‘three’ throughout my artwork both represented by numbers and symbols, reflects on the sense of competition that many of us are forced to feel in everyday life or like to indulge in. The three representations of the goddess of love and beauty, ‘Venus’, is a reflection of how she has been appropriated in many famous paintings and artworks for centuries. In taking inspiration from historical and traditional depictions of Venus, her portrayal in my artwork alludes to the idea of her emergence through time and how she is the ultimate embodiment of a ‘prized possession’ that is unattainable.