Transparency, Transformation, Trancendence

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Art

Date of Award

Spring 2014

Abstract

Since the late Stone Age, silk is one of the few natural materials which has been a part of both human history and art history to the present day. It is a material that has transcended cultural divides and fueled artistic exploration around the globe. Silk has been valued as a neutral support for various media as well as for its inherent delicate fragility, ease of manipulation of structure, composition, and luminous transparency.My intention is to challenge accepted cultural norms about silk painting by more aggressively activating the material to break free of traditional constraints. I seek to develop an innovative contemporary language that extends drawing and painting into the third dimension and unites multiple hanging panels in an interactive arrangement propelled by aerodynamic motion. The contextual framework addresses the cyclical nature of existence - the perception of the cycle of Life - birth, maturation and aging, and mortality. The imagery evokes the notion of Woman as an object of desire, identifying the female body as landscape and source of life (Mother Earth), referencing microscopic and macroscopic reality. Nature itself presents to favor transformations of a physical nature, while transcendence occurs between the physical to the spiritual. This phenomenon is cyclical from birth to mortality to rebirth, made up of repeated finite parts that echo over and over through the whole of the known physical universe ad infinitum. My creative research seeks to expand beyond the limitations of traditional painting on silk in combination with other media to create challenging statements, expanding the boundaries of art. My goal is to contribute to the artistic conversation between Eastern and Western contemporary art.

Advisor

Gerard Huber

Subject Categories

Art and Design | Arts and Humanities

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