Researcher(s)
- Bear Figueroa, Art, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- David Brinley, Art & Design, University of Delaware
Abstract
Change Forever and Ever is a mixed media exploration of the ever-shifting world as we know it, trans identity, and being human. Combining 2D mediums of painting and collage with 3D elements of air dry clay, felt, and plaster, both traditional and unconventional materials construct layered scenes that encourage viewers to empathize and extract their own meaning.
This project explores how we cope with change, grief, and hardship, through a whimsical lens of fabric, paint, and decoration. I explore and experiment with using collage as a vehicle for my emotion, examining how to evoke feelings like nostalgia and bittersweet through abstraction of my own experiences onto canvas.
The main pieces I created for this summer collection are titled (I Hate) Change When it Happens to Me and (I Love) Changing Myself. First, I reminisce on memories at my grandparents’ house, celebrating how their support of my life and identity changed my life for the better, while mourning the things life naturally makes us leave behind. Then, I present my frustration with the current state of the world, while recognizing the “indomitable” human spirit that keeps me going. The pieces are absurd, bright, and visually busy; I invite viewers to slow down, observe, and reflect.