CURATORIAL RATIONALE

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The works I have presented in this exhibition examine how beauty results from the juxtaposition between the natural and human-made forms, in art and real life. The works draw from a range of inspirations, seeking to emulate traditional observational art but also using elements of abstraction and narrative art. Many stylistic choices, such as the usage of signage and lettering, can be traced to sequential art such as comics, and as the exhibition progresses, the shift from observation to narration becomes more apparent. 

Before justifying the order of presentation, the digital nature of this exhibition must be addressed. Without the physical artworks present, size isn’t as noticeable, as viewers can simply zoom in and out as they please. In order to reconstruct an aspect of physical showcases, I have divided my website into separate pages, some for series, and others for singular works. This allows onlookers to experience each work individually, acting almost as panels for dividing parts of narrative. I have also consolidated the works into a singular page at the end, as to contextualize them as one exhibition, once they’ve been seen separately. 

I wanted the first artwork to make to have a  narrative and thematic tie-in, which I established with Chapel by Pond. This was my first project in IB art, and so its themes were not as well developed, but in retrospect it demonstrates the focus on natural versus built form. The bright colours of the grass, trees, and water contrast with the greys and muddled white of the chapel. Even the title juxtaposes the two: Chapel by Pond tells a reader explicitly what two aspects to focus on. From there, I thought it would be fitting to establish conflict, and did so with State of Decay. Instead of showcasing natural and unnatural structures as allies, this painting sees them in a battle for space. Next comes Skyline Blues, which deepens the relationship between the human-made and natural form via abstraction. Unlike previous depictions of nature, an uncaring yet beautiful force to be reckoned with, Skyline Blues sees it as crude, conquered by the skyscrapers in the distance. These three pieces, in my mind, make up the first third of the exhibition. 

Muted Chinatown shifts the point of view into the scene, instead of giving the impression that the viewer is an outsider. They are part of the crowd, one large, ever-moving entity. Muted Chinatown invites its viewers to extrapolate on the experience being depicted by use of a more free hand and less attention to detail. Making the onlooker “part of the crowd” plays another role: pointing out that they themselves are a piece of that force of nature, even if they inhabit unnatural, built spaces. The Lighting Studies do much of the same-- in Lighting Study no. 1: Mini Mart, the darkness which the audience is placed into contrasts with the neon glow of the convenience store. These pieces were grouped together because, besides the medium and focus on light, they make the viewer the force of nature in the scene. No. 2 extends the binder outside of the frame similarly to what No. 1 does with areas enshrouded with darkness, provoking questions as to what caused the scene. 

The last stage of the exhibition begins with a series of three photomontages dubbed Trespassers. These works build off the viewer’s place in the artworks established in the Lighting Studies and Muted Chinatown. However, instead of giving observers a home to participate within the world being constructed, Trespassers gives the sense that theirs is a force of disturbance. Ritual’s sorcerous atmosphere seems disrupted by the observer’s presence, while Splintered Lodging and Sunlit Wanderlust ask them directly to not go further, their signs bearing messages like “No Trespassing” and “Keep Off”. The Arsenal Football Club presents a world without distinction between natural and built form, as the hallucinogenic point of view is completely constructed by a human mind. One is provoked to wonder if there is no meaningful distinction between the two, as built form is simply the construction of humankind, yet another more advanced type of natural force. 

I intend for the showcase to reflect on how they perceive the world around them, but also to come away with it with a story of sorts. This story need not be similar across the board, but rather one of the audience members’ own making, provoked by my artwork and added on to each individual’s experiences.