Curatorial Rationale My artworks are united through the theme of restoration. I was inspired by restoration because I witness societal issues in the media and my community that create injustices among marginalized groups of people. I represented the injustices using allegorical images in my works. For instance, in my artwork, His Escape, the issues of gender roles are depicted through the image of the man emerging from the darkness of gender discrimination and into an accumulation of bright colors and buttons. While developing these artworks, I was increasingly intrigued by the close affiliation between the human body and societal issues demonizing our world. As a young adult, I have little influence on these issues. However, my artworks have given me an outlet to inform my audience about the injustices that harm marginalized communities. I explored four sub themes, the impact of the environment on my personal culture, restorative justice, mental health, and body image, that branch from my main theme of restoration. Initially, I was inspired by the curious wonders and destructions to the natural world for my artworks My Happy Place and La Isla Del Encanto (The Island of Enchantment). In a safe place, like my bedroom, I wonder how I can address certain issues, like the natural disasters that have devastated Puerto Rico, where my family lives, and it often seems as endless as a mountain range. My exploration of the environment led me to seek how humans are impacted by societal issues. Curious, I wanted to explore the impact of the media on body image. My artwork, Ties, was a pivotal piece that marked the turning point of me using the human body because it allowed me to manipulate the body in a way that would portray a capturing message about the ways the human race is harmed through social controversies. In Ties, Restless, and Elevate the Beauty of Your Skin I used mixed media which allowed me to use a diverse collection of materials. When I combined mediums it strengthened my artwork’s meaning because it emphasized the societal issue of mental illness that I was addressing. Specifically, in my artwork, Chains, I used jewelry to hang around a screaming clay mask to highlight the negative impact of materialism on one’s mental health.
For my exhibition, I decided to present my artworks in a linear arrangement on a long wall to illustrate the cause and effect relationship between social issues and restorative justice. For instance, my artwork, His Escape, is next to Hi, Hello. and Elevate the Beauty of Your Skin because the exploration of gender roles can often lead to the examination of one’s sexuality and appearance. I also arranged my artworks based on the contrast of perspectives, colors, and style. I grouped La Isla Del Encanto and My Happy Place together to contrast the two perspectives of the landscapes. Then, I paired His Escape with Hi, Hello. to concentrate the bright and light colors in one space and contrast the impressionist style with the graphic style. Lastly, I put Elevate the Beauty of Your Skin, Chains, and Restless apart from each other because they are all vivid in detail. I want the audience to recognize the cause and effect relationship between societal issues.
All of my artworks are rooted in the restoration of justice to issues impacting society. In many of my artworks, such as His Escape and Restless, I used bright colors and depictions of the human form to catch the viewer’s attention. The purpose of this is to show how societal adversity comes in many shapes and forms. This component might make my audiences aware of the diverse societal issues at stake in our society and recognize my art is a way to restore justice in those issues.