Tate Arroyo-Acosta - MA Fine Art
The work presented examines themes of sexual abuse through an existential perspective. A recurring character or continuous story weaves in and out between a perceived "real world" and an intangible world of ideas, stories, memories, and images through the use of multimedia, sculpture, and graphic visual narrative (or "comics"). The artist places emphasis on material and mundane objects and sweeping narratives lie in wait between the cracks of floorboards, in the shadows of the walls, a mattress, food, a pregnancy test. There is a play then on individuality, the comparison to objects implies insignificance, but this is subverted by the sheer importance of the object in the work. Using dolls, dress-up, and a recurring character implies a transcendence to the story between 2D and 3D realms and examines themes of objectification and existential dread. There is an inconsistence to the narratives following the same character, an unclear timeline, a blurriness. The artist wished to convey not only an incongruent and unclear experience which follows trauma, but also the subject as a "representative" for better or worse and all which it may convey: pressures, dehumanisation, and all. The artist draws from their own Latine culture, heritage, and upbringing as well to tackle themes of colonialism in relation to sexual abuse, monsters, and a "God" brought over on a galeón. Folklore bleeds into the stories and becomes an agent of power, identity, and justice.
