With my final semester in university coming to an end, so was the 40th Annual Undergraduate Exhibition: Blank Slate, held at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG) between March 20th – April 5th.
Progress of the 100 hours that went into my grad thesis piece “Follow”
Follow me into “Follow”
Le bf seeing my piece for the first time (:
For those of you interested in knowing the concepts behind my painting:
My Artist Statement
This painting explores the relationship between travel and social media. Inspired by Osmann’s “Follow Me To” series posted on Instagram, I document my travels by constructing photos in a similar manner—from the first person view of the photographer (my boyfriend), with me leading him into various destinations. The canvas is arranged chronologically into 72 equally sliced horizontal bands—one for each destination that I’ve visited during this past year.
Today, the most important element in traveling, the visual experience, is emphasized by technology. The pixelated quality of the photographic compilation is a comment on the ubiquity of the digital snapshot and social networking platforms—the need to document and share every experience. The fragmented appearance of the slices reinforces the fragility of moments in memory, where each horizontal band represents a preserved slice from a singular voyage.
Set against the abstracted background, the outlined figure is recognizable when viewed from afar. The one-to-one scale of the canvas invites the viewers to closely examine each individual slice. Although more details are revealed upon closer inspection, there’s not enough information to geographically locate the image. Compositionally, the image contradicts the convention of the clichéd tourist photos—a frontal view of the subject with an iconic monument as the backdrop. The abstraction of the background forces the audience to examine the act of traveling itself, rather than focusing on identifying the destination. As Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes, but having new eyes.” The goal of my work is to introduce a contemporary perspective that examines the relationship between traveling, digital technology and the desire to preserve the moment.
P.S. “Follow” got selected by the Public Art Advisory Committee of the Region of Waterloo, and I got a contract to have my piece hang in their headquarters for the next year! :D
And just to show a few the other pieces that I liked by my fellow talented classmates:
by Minsang Song
“The Explication of the Old Man” (oil paint) by Dan Timmins
“Big Owl” by Sarah Faucher
“French Fry Suit” by JoAnn Ball
“Self” (performance with saran wrap and tape) by Julia Scappatura
“Cold, Hard Truth” by Lindsay Davies
Group photo!
『CLUSTERFUCKS♥』 